


Love in a Minor Key

by CordeliaJane70, dejong679



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Music, Orchestra, Romance, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Widowed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 72,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CordeliaJane70/pseuds/CordeliaJane70, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dejong679/pseuds/dejong679
Summary: Sidney Parker is known for being a perfectionist and hard to please, but no-one can deny his musical brilliance. If things had been different, he would likely have been Musical Director of the London Symphony Orchestra by now, but life took him down a darker path. Widowed, jaded and lacking in inspiration, Sidney has all but resigned himself to his fate… until that is, he meets Miss Charlotte Heywood… Can our favourite couple overcome past hurts and difficulties and find true happiness with one another?A Modern Sanditon AU fanfic full of love, loss and misunderstandings which, after a little angst, will ultimately end with a HEA.This work is accompanied by a playlist called 'Minor Key Fic' which can be found here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5AmWROaNmVuInvsuEHt3Hx?si=7dkibQ6uSg2soGjrDTJOxw
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker, Lord Babington/Esther Denham
Comments: 702
Kudos: 567





	1. The Elegy of Sidney Parker

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaborative project between dejong679 and CordeliaJane70.
> 
> CordeliaJane70 floated the idea of this fanfic and then we combined some of my own ideas for a new story which have been woven into it. This is the result! We hope you enjoy it.
> 
> This fanfic addresses some new issues that have yet to be explored in Sanditon works. Some of the ideas were spawned when a person on twitter recently asked for a fanfic where Eliza was not the enemy.
> 
> As the lead characters’ back stories are rather different, the first couple of chapters will act as an introduction to them, and we apologise that it may be a little melancholy (certainly this first Chapter made me shed a few tears). Please stick with it. For those of you who know my writing, you know I always guarantee a HEA. “The darkest hour is before the dawn”.
> 
> WARNING: This fanfic touches on bereavement and cancer which we have tried to deal with as sensitively as possible.

_Three years… 1095 days… 26280 hours… 1576800 minutes… without her._

People say that time is a healer, and to a degree that had been true. Certainly the sharp agony of grief Sidney had felt on his wife’s passing had now left him, but her absence had left a void, an emptiness, a dull ache that never truly went away. Henry had only been a toddler when she had passed and Jenny only three. Any memories they had of their mother were fleeting, but that wasn’t to say that his children did not feel her loss keenly. It was the little things, like Parents Evenings at School, where there was only one parent in attendance instead of two, or the times when one of them had a nightmare and craved a mother’s embrace or lullaby. Sidney loved his children with all his heart, but trying to be both father and mother did have its challenges and there were many times where he longed for a partner to share the responsibility of raising them and not only that, but someone with whom to celebrate their milestones and achievements. Perhaps that was the time it hurt the most.

Sidney had met Eliza when he was 18 and they were both Freshers at Music College. It had been love at first sight and Sidney still could recall the exact moment as if it were yesterday. It was when they were each tasked with performing a piece for their class to showcase their talents, and Eliza had stood up and sung. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful and that was it: he had fallen hook, line and sinker. Within only a couple of weeks, they were dating and inseparable. Sidney proposed soon after they graduated and then they were married the following year. Three years later, they had Jenny, followed by Henry two years after that. They had lived happily in London, where Eliza taught music at Secondary School and Sidney had pursued his dream to be a Concert Pianist. The highlight of his career was performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 at the Royal Albert Hall, in front of the Prince of Wales no less! He had also written a number of Symphonies and Concertos, which had been performed by the London Symphony Orchestra; for whom he also played, when they needed a pianist from time to time. In addition, he had been the Musical Director for a smattering of theatre productions in the West End and taught piano privately. Those first few years of married life in London had been a dream… yet all that was to dramatically change when Eliza fell ill.

It was shortly after Henry’s birth, when Eliza found the lump in her breast. At first she thought it was just as a result of breastfeeding, but when it was investigated, it turned out to be malignant. What followed was eighteen months of treatment: an operation and rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but it was not enough to save her. She died peacefully at home in Sidney’s arms leaving him widowed after 6 1/2 years of marriage and at only the age of 28, with two small children to raise on his own. Life temporarily lost its meaning after she was gone. Sidney had no inclination to play or write music. Any works that were in progress were abandoned and all lessons cancelled. Living in London became unbearable and so Sidney was to persuaded to move back with his children to Sanditon, a seaside resort on the South West coast and his home town, to help his elder brother Tom with his various development projects, leaving his memories and dreams behind him in London. After a few months back in Sanditon, the fog of grief started to shift and Sidney slowly got back to doing what he loved. Piano lessons were recommenced and he began doing the odd composition for TV adverts and jingles for radio shows, along with playing the piano accompaniment for music exams and school concerts and productions. It was miles apart from where he used to be, but inspiration was a lot harder to come by and his half written Concertos stayed in boxes in the loft. More than that, he considered it impossible to go back to his former life as a single Dad. His children were his priority now and they needed him, as much as he needed them, now their mother was gone.

About a year after moving to Sanditon, Sidney decided to start an orchestra of his own, the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra, and within months it became known as the most accomplished in the county. Keen musicians came to audition, some from miles away but Sidney was very particular in who was to make the cut and turned many a talented musician away disappointed, for it was not just about talent, but about attitude and commitment. Practices were weekly and Sidney considered it a massive slight if any were missed without good reason. The concerts were quite something to behold, with a mixture of the old and new and as word spread, the audience numbers increased and new venues had to be sourced. However, even though the reputation and prominence of his orchestra grew, Sidney was reluctant to branch out too far from Sanditon and he was very selective in where to perform, because he didn’t want to be away for long from his kids.

Living in Sanditon had many benefits, not least being close to family. His brother Tom and his sister-in-law, Mary, lived only a mile down the road and had two children of their own, albeit they were a few years older than Sidney's. His younger brother, Arthur, and sister, Diana also lived together, just outside Sanditon and they all helped with childcare from time to time. Despite the fact his siblings often drove him to insanity, Sidney felt an extreme sense of gratitude towards them and since Eliza’s parting, the term ‘family’ had taken on a new meaning for him. He owed all his siblings a great deal, not least today, the most difficult day of the year because today marked three years or 1095 days, approximately 26280 hours or 1576800 minutes since his wife’s death.

To anyone else, it was an ordinary sunny and warm day in July, but for Sidney and his family, it was one tinged with intense sadness. However, rather than dwelling on her death, Eliza was very adamant that Sidney did not mark the day with anything melancholy and had insisted he should do something fun with the children instead. And so, as it was the school holidays, he had taken the children to Diggerland for the day, much to Henry’s delight, where they had been on all the various rides, watched the JCB shows and eaten naughty treats. It had been a really good distraction on what should have been a pretty awful day and Sidney had even allowed himself to enjoy it too. High on sugar, they made their way to Tom’s home, Trafalgar House, where Mary had offered to cook dinner for them and to have the children for a sleepover. In fact, the children would sleepover at Trafalgar House about once a month, so that Sidney could have a night off.

After a delicious lasagne (Mary’s signature dish), Sidney got the children ready for bed, read them a story and tucked them up in bed. He then went downstairs to join Mary and Tom in the lounge. As their children, Alicia and James were a little older, they were allowed to stay up longer reading in their rooms.

Mary smiled at him as he walked in and took a seat. “Sounds like Henry and Jenny had an exciting day.”

“Yes. I expect they are asleep already. I doubt you’ll have any trouble with them tonight.” Sidney remarked.

“They are never any trouble, you know that Sidney!” Mary replied. Sidney forced a smile, but his mind was really elsewhere, for it was impossible not to think of Eliza on today of all days. Noticing he was distracted, Mary added. “Sidney, please feel free to go if you need to. We’ve got it covered here.”

Sidney looked over to her. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as eggs are eggs.” Tom said, smiling at his brother.

“Alright. Thank you. I’ll pick them up around nine tomorrow.” Sidney said, standing up.

“That’s fine, take your time. We have no plans, do we Tom?” Mary said.

“Nope.” Tom said, about to stand.

“No need to see me out, Tom. Thank you for dinner Mary. See you tomorrow.”

Tom and Mary bid him farewell and then Sidney left in his Citron Picasso and went back to his house. On a usual night off, Sidney would go out, sometimes with friends, sometimes by himself and often he’d leave with a woman - it wasn’t difficult to attract the opposite sex with his dark and brooding good looks along with the deep seductive tones of his voice. Tonight, however, was not the night for that. It would seem like a betrayal to do so on the anniversary of his wife’s death, even if Eliza had told him she wanted him to move on with his life after she was gone. So instead, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and made his way to the beach.

The sun was still making its slow descent across the sky as Sidney found a spot on the beach and opened the half full bottle of whiskey to take a gulp. They had scattered Eliza’s ashes here after they had moved to Sanditon and so it seemed like the place he needed to be. If he closed his eyes, he could still conjure her image and he did this often, as if afraid he would forget her face, even though there were photos of her about the house. However, even the conjured images of her were bitter sweet, for she had been so ill before she died; the effects of three rounds of chemo and the cancer plaguing her body. Eliza had wanted him to remember her as she was, the day they were married, but on the anniversary of her death, his mind couldn’t stop dwelling on how it had felt to hold her when she had died.

Sidney took another gulp of whiskey and it burnt his throat, making him cough slightly and making the few tears that had filled his eyes, fall down his face, which he hastily wiped away. He hardly ever drank the stuff, but it seemed appropriate on a day like today. As he drank silently on the sandy beach, he also played with his wedding ring, which he continued to wear at all times… except the times he went out, for women were not likely to consider him a catch if he wore it. He struggled each time he took it off, but going out offered him an escape that he needed from the intense pressure of being a single Dad. There had been one point since Eliza’s death, when he had considered the idea of a more permanent relationship. He had even got so far as drafting a profile for Match.com, but then decided against posting it, for he just wasn’t ready… in fact, he wondered if he would ever be ready to move on. And even if he was ready, there were his kids to think about, and what sort of woman would be willing to take on both him and his two children? For it was essential to him that any woman would not just love him, but his children as well.

Sidney sighed deeply. Sitting here, watching the sunset he felt much older than his 31 years, for there were not many among his age that had experienced such loss. He plugged his headphones into his ears and stuck on his favourite piece of music: Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1, on his phone and then lay back on the sand. Closing his eyes, he tried to spend the time remembering his wife the way she wanted to be remembered, focussing on their wedding day and the way his heart had leapt as she walked down the aisle towards him, and the day each of their children were born, unashamed of the tears running down his cheeks. Yes, the pain was weaker, but the feeling of loss was still there, it would always be there, because she had left an imprint on his heart. But her passing had also left him heartbroken, like a part of him was missing, and lying here on the beach, he wondered whether anyone could recover from such heartbreak and whether it was even remotely possible to love anyone like that ever again…


	2. Charlotte's Solo Sonata

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your encouraging comments and kudos so far.
> 
> Here is the next Chapter where we meet Charlotte.
> 
> Another WARNING: There is a reference in this Chapter to a traumatic birth experience, but it is not graphic.
> 
> Please do check out the playlist if you haven't already as it will keep being updated as each Chapter is posted and acts as an accompaniment to that Chapter. 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5AmWROaNmVuInvsuEHt3Hx?si=7dkibQ6uSg2soGjrDTJOxw

Chaos! That was the only word to describe the Heywood household on this dull but warm morning in August. Charlotte supposed it would be less chaotic if there were not so many people around, for how difficult could it be to finish packing and then to load the car with boxes and suitcases? However, each member of the family kept nagging her about one thing or another: “Have you got this?” and “Have you packed that?” And “Did you remember to do x, y and z?” She was 25 for goodness sake! Did they not trust her to pack her own belongings? Her mother was the worst for her fussing, but her four younger siblings were not particularly helpful either. Why they all saw it fit to be here this morning when only two out of four of them actually still lived here, she didn’t know! At least her Dad was staying out of the way so that was one less person to worry about.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Charlotte’s Volvo was packed with all her worldly possessions… all except one key missing piece. “Where’s Jake?” she asked her Mum, who shrugged in response.

Sighing heavily, she went back into the house. “Jake? Jake?” she shouted, searching every room. She knew Jake was not keen on leaving what had been the only home he had ever known and it would be just like him to run off and hide, but he was not in the house.

Starting to feel a little panicked, her sister Alison suddenly yelled up the stairs. “Char, I’ve found him!”

“Thank God!” Charlotte muttered and then ran down the stairs to where Alison was holding onto Charlotte’s four year old son to make sure he wouldn't escape again. Jake was not at all pleased to have been found. He had an adorable little scowl on his face. She crouched down to talk to him. “Jake sweetheart, where have you been hiding?”

Jake didn’t answer and refused to met Charlotte’s eyes.

“I found him in the garden,” Alison confirmed.

“I’m sorry buddy, but it’s time to go. Have you used the loo?” Charlotte asked him. He nodded gruffly. “Come on then, let’s get in the car,” she said, as she picked him up in her arms. “Are you going to give your Auntie Alison a kiss goodbye?”

Jake leaned over and pecked Alison on the lips. “I’ll see you soon buddy, I promise,” Alison said to him, as Jake pulled a face that indicated he was on the verge of tears.

More kisses and goodbyes later and Charlotte managed to get Jake into his carseat, with only a smattering of tears.

“So, this is it. The start of your next adventure,” Charlotte’s Dad said to her, as she gave him a hug.

“Yes, I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

“Just be careful, OK?”

“Dad… I am an adult. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“But you’ve never done this on your own before…” her Dad protested.

“Yes I know, which is exactly why I need to do this. Jake and I needed to leave eventually. We’ve more than outstayed our welcome here.”

“You will never be unwelcome in this house,” her Dad maintained. “And if it doesn’t work out, you can always come home.”

Charlotte sighed. This was the main reason she hadn’t done this years ago, because her Dad didn’t really want her and Jake to leave. She was grateful of course, but enough was enough. Jake was starting school in five days and it was time to move on with her life, away from Willingden (the village where she had grown up) and her loving, but overbearing family. “I know, and I am so grateful for everything you and Mum have done for me and Jake. You’ve gone above and beyond.”

“We’ve loved every minute of it,” her Dad responded.

“Now, we both know that’s not true. Don’t you remember the terrible twos?”

Her Dad shrugged. “It’s nothing we hadn’t gone through before.”

“But I’m sure you would appreciate some space, just like we do.”

“Yes, I know,” her Dad admitted. “Just send us a text to let us know when you’ve arrived safely.”

“I will,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte got into the car and shut the door behind her. “Right Jakey. Off we go,” she said to her son, as she turned the ignition in the car and drove away from her parents’ farm.

To say that life hadn’t gone exactly the way Charlotte had planned would have been rather an understatement. When she had left to go to Music College at the age of 18, she had dreams of becoming a professional musician, touring the country with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, but she had fallen pregnant half way through her course and then had dropped out. She returned to Willingden to live with her parents, the intention being to stay at least until she had had her baby and adjusted to motherhood and then she would find a place on her own. However, Jake’s birth was very traumatic and had ended with an emergency caesarean section. Jake was fine, but Charlotte had haemorrhaged badly. At one point, the doctors had feared for her life and were ready to perform a hysterectomy, but thankfully they had managed to locate and stop the bleed before it got to that stage. Even so, Charlotte needed to spend a few days in intensive care recovering and when she was well enough to go home, she was very dependent on her family, as her body recovered from the trauma of the birth and surgery.

As time passed, the Heywood family all fell into a comfortable rhythm at home, such that it didn’t become necessary for Charlotte to leave, especially when she and Jake were given the Annex to the farm, so that they had at least some sort of sense of separation from the rest of the family. But today marked a day of change. It was the start of the next phase of Charlotte and Jake’s lives. They were moving out of the Annex of the Heywood family farm and away from Willingden to Sanditon, a coastal town around 80 miles away. Charlotte had always wanted to live by the sea and now Jake was at school age, it seemed like the right time for the move. She had found herself a job, as the carer and companion of the grand lady of the town which she was due to start next week. Charlotte wasn’t entirely sure what had attracted her to the job. Perhaps it was the fact that it was very different from anything she had done before and therefore intriguing, plus the money wasn’t too bad. More than that, Lady Denham was happy for her to work school hours, so she didn’t need to think about getting out of hours childcare.

Charlotte and Jake were to live in a rented, partly furnished, two bedroom, first floor apartment with a sea view. She had only seen photos of the flat and therefore, it was a bit of a gamble taking it, but her new landlord, a Mrs Griffiths, who lived on the ground floor, seemed really nice on the phone. Plus, it was the only apartment she could find that had a shared garden, which Jake could play in. Charlotte had her concerns about the move, of course, for she knew no-one in Sanditon, but she was blessed with being able to make friends easily and had passed on that talent to her son. She was therefore hopeful that he would make friends at school quickly.

Jake was a lot like his mother in many ways. He had inherited Charlotte’s mousey brown curly hair, button nose and the dimple in his chin, along with her stubbornness and determination. But he had blue eyes instead of her brown ones, and he was tall for his age, whereas his mother was a petite 5 ft 4. Jake’s blue eyes and tall height were characteristics that he had inherited from his father, the identity of which Charlotte had not disclosed to anyone, not even her sister and best friend, Alison. Her family had asked her about it on many occasions, especially during the time between Charlotte coming home pregnant and Jake’s birth, but thankfully they had stopped asking for now and had accepted that Charlotte was not going to tell them. Alison, on the other hand, would still occasionally bring it up, because she was particularly concerned that Jake’s father was not paying her child support. Jake had even asked once - and Charlotte didn’t know what to say to him. She had somehow managed to dodge the question, but she knew at some point he would want to know. How she was going to explain it to him, she didn’t know, so instead she just ignored the issue for now, because the fact was that Jake’s father was not on the scene and would not be a part of his life, so it seemed futile to release the information.

The journey to Sanditon was rather tedious. Jake had insisted on playing his music on the drive and Charlotte didn’t think she could take much more of Baby Shark. She longed to be listening to something less grating on the ears… in fact, her preference would be Brahms’ Violin Concerto, but it appeared her son did not share her taste in music, which she had tried to get him engaged with on several occasions, even when he was in the womb! She was not going to give up trying to ‘educate’ her son, however, for packed away with the belongings in her car was Charlotte’s most treasured possession: her violin. Even though she had long given up any hopes of being a professional musician, her love for music remained, and she would take it out often to play at home. Charlotte had always been musical, in fact, the whole Heywood family had the musical gene, but it was Charlotte who had always excelled in it. It became obvious as soon as she started violin lessons at the age of eight, that she was gifted, as she raced through the music grades, eventually getting her Grade 8 by the age of fourteen. It was her Music Teacher who floated the idea of Charlotte going to Music College and then, the dream had taken hold. When she was a student there, it had indeed been like a dream, at least for the first two years… until she fell pregnant. However, even though getting pregnant was not part of Charlotte’s original life plan, she could not regret it, for her son, Jake, was her world. Granted, her dreams remained unchanged, but they did not seem as important anymore… and she was happy… well, she wasn’t unhappy, how could she be when she had her boy? But she was restless and that is why it was important for her to go on this next adventure.

Two hours later and Charlotte and Jake drove into Sanditon and parked up outside their new apartment.

“Jake - we’re here, this is our new home!” Charlotte said, as she turned round to look over to the back seat.

Jake just stared at her, not looking particularly impressed. Charlotte sighed. Convincing Jake this was a good idea, was going to be harder than she thought. She hopped out of the car and then helped Jake out of his car seat. Taking his hand, they walked to the front door of the property and rang the doorbell to Mrs Griffiths’ apartment. A middle aged lady with striking red hair and porcelain skin opened the door and smiled kindly at them.

“Ah, you must be Charlotte Heywood,” she said and then looked at Jake. “And you must be Jake!” she said, Jake grabbed hold of Charlotte’s leg, in an unusual display of shyness, which Charlotte supposed was only natural, given the circumstances.

“Yes, that’s right,” confirmed Charlotte.

“I’m Augusta Griffiths, your new landlord and neighbour.Welcome to Sanditon!”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sure you just want to get settled in, so let me fetch you the key and we’ll go on up to your apartment!” Mrs Griffiths said, as she nipped inside her own apartment to grab the key. She then led them through a small communal hallway, to the door of their apartment, which she unlocked with said key. The door opened onto a carpeted staircase, which, when ascended, brought them straight into the living area. The lounge/diner had a wonderful view of the beach and was furnished with two identical suede brown sofas, a small round dining table, around which sat four chairs and empty shelves on one wall. To the side of the living area was a tiny kitchen, which had all the necessary appliances and at the back of the living room, there was a door which led to the family bathroom and two comfortable sized bedrooms, one with a double bed and the other with a single. It wasn’t much, but it was perfect for what Charlotte and Jake needed.

Mrs Griffiths handed over the keys and left them to it. Charlotte fired off a text to her Dad to confirm her arrival and then, after insisting Jake use the loo, she made him sit on one of the sofas and handed him her phone to watch Blippi (his favour YouTube channel) while she began the mammoth task of emptying the car of her belongings. After a couple of trips up and down the stairs with boxes, Charlotte was spotted by her new neighbours across the road, who came across to introduce themselves.

“Hi! Are you the person moving into No. 3B?” said a woman with beautiful dark skin and an adorable baby girl on her hip, followed by her partner and another little girl around Jake’s age.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Charlotte.” she replied politely.

“Georgiana, and this is my partner Otis. We live just opposite at No. 6. Did I see you arrive with a little boy?” asked Georgiana.

“Yes, my son Jake. He’s currently upstairs glued to my phone, watching YouTube videos.”

“Anything to keep them still and quiet eh?” Georgiana said grinning and Charlotte smiled back at her.

“That’s a lot of stuff you’ve got there. Can I give you a hand?” Otis commented, looking at her car, which was still full of her belongings.

“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you…” Charlotte began.

“It’s no trouble.” Georgiana chimed in, glancing at her partner as if they had already talked this through with each other before coming over and making Charlotte suspect Georgiana may wear the trousers in that relationship!

“That’s really kind of you, thank you.” replied Charlotte and Otis immediately got to work by fetching a box out of the car.

With Otis’ help, it didn’t take too long for the car to be emptied and once finished, Georgiana invited Charlotte and Jake round for tea the next day, so that they got the chance to settle in. It felt good to have made an acquaintance already, and she had even discovered that Georgiana’s eldest daughter, Molly was starting school like Jake and they were both in Mr Stringer’s class. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to unpack things, whilst Jake played with his toys. Charlotte then made a simple pasta dish for dinner and put Jake to bed, thinking that they would do some exploring of the town tomorrow. Once Jake was asleep, Charlotte opened up a bottle of Pinot Noir, poured herself a glass and sank into the sofa, thinking she would have a little break before recommencing the unpacking. The sun was starting to set along the horizon, painting the apartment in a beautiful golden glow and making Charlotte feel hopeful that this next phase of hers and Jake’s life was going to be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms
> 
> Sonata: The term sonata comes from the Italian word “to sound” – suonare. The “definition” of a sonata has changed through time, but it has always referred to compositions that are played by an instrument or instruments (not vocals). Typically it is a piece of music in three or four parts, either for a piano or for another instrument, such as a violin, sometimes also with a piano.


	3. A Cacophonous Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and here we have our meet-cute! Enjoy.

It had been a busy, but fun, few days for Charlotte and Jake as they settled into their new life in Sanditon. Determined not to spend all the time unpacking and doing chores, Charlotte had made sure they had visited the beach everyday, where Jake enjoyed building sandcastles, paddling in the sea and collecting shells. He’d only been to the beach a handful of times before and so the experience was a real novelty. Georgiana had joined them on one occasion with Molly and baby Sienna and the two older children had a great time playing together. It was nice to know Jake was making a friend, and Charlotte felt she had found a friend in Georgiana too.

Mrs Griffiths had also been very sweet and had surprised them by baking cookies as a welcome present. When Charlotte had invited her to tea, Mrs Griffiths had told them all about her involvement with the local Church, which had a new vicar, a Reverend Hankins, whom Charlotte guessed Mrs Griffiths was a little smitten with by the way she spoke about him and for some reason it made her like her even more! Mrs Griffiths was also a member of the local WI group which she tried to encourage Charlotte to join, explaining they were looking for younger members. Charlotte politely declined. Although she would like to get more involved with the local community, her and Jake needed to get settled in first, and in any case, she didn’t think the WI was really her thing.

Along with going to the beach, Jake and Charlotte had visited the Library, which had an impressive selection of books; the Park, which had clearly just been refurbished with new swings and a slide; and the Leisure Centre, where Charlotte had signed Jake up for swimming lessons. She’d registered them at both the Doctor’s and Dentist Surgery and they’d bought Jake’s school uniform (which was rather an emotional moment). All in all, Charlotte thought that Sanditon was a very charming town. Everything was in easy walking distance from their apartment and everyone seemed very friendly (she had gotten into a ten minute conversation with the Librarian and the man in the Ice Cream Van also liked a good natter). Charlotte was beginning to feel quite content with her choice to move here and the hopefulness she had felt on the first night of their arrival, continued to manifest itself within her with each new day.

“Jake? Have you finished brushing your teeth yet? Come get your shoes on, or we’ll be late!” Charlotte called to her son, as she rushed around getting his school bag ready.

It was Monday morning - Jake’s first day at school and Charlotte was convinced they were going to be late. She was nervous and jittery, like it was her first day at school all over again. She just needed to make sure she didn’t cry… at least until she got home! How had her little boy grown up so fast? It seemed like only yesterday she was cradling him in her arms and singing him to sleep. God, she was going to be an emotional wreck today, she just knew it! Thank goodness she’d had the sense to negotiate the start date for her new job by 24 hours, so she could get through today.

Five minutes later they left the house, stopping for the token ‘first day at school’ photo in front of the door, which Charlotte would send to all her family later. The school was only a ten minute walk away and they had plenty of time, but Charlotte found herself walking hastily to get there, to the extent Jake had to tell her to slow down as he couldn’t keep up with her. When they got to school, it was bustling with parents and their children and Charlotte realised that she had no idea where Mr Stringer’s class was, for they had not visited the school before. She stopped to ask someone who pointed vaguely to a building and then headed in that direction.

“I think it must be this way, come on,” Charlotte said to Jake, pretty much running and pulling him along by the hand with her. They ran around the corner of a building and then… SMACK! Charlotte ran into something hard and tall and stumbled backwards. The object she had hit grunted - a hand shot out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from landing flat on her arse and taking Jake with her. The hand gripped her arm tightly, as it tugged her forwards, so she was back on her feet and stable.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Charlotte said, feeling absolutely mortified, as her eyes slowly travelled from the man’s hand (for it was certainly a man with a grip like that), up his arm, his torso, his neck and prominent Adam’s Apple, and then into the face of the man she had run into. His dark brown eyes were boring into hers and he had a scowl on his face which made it abundantly clear he was very displeased with her, yet despite his severe expression, he was probably the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She stared back at him somewhat transfixed by his gaze, which felt like it was burning her retinas. How long they stood there staring at one another, she didn’t know. It was probably only a few seconds, but it had felt much longer. Eventually, the man let go of her arm and stepped back away from her and she noticed that next to him were two children, a girl and a boy. The boy looked like he was Jake’s age and the girl a little older.

“You do know there is a one-way system?” the man said in a deep rough tone, which sent a chill down her spine.

His words and tone of voice stirred something inside of her and Charlotte tried not to offer a rude retort, given there were children present. “There is? Where are the signs?” she asked.

The girl who was with the man giggled and pointed up to the wall right next to Charlotte, which had an arrow on it, clearly pointing in the opposite direction which Charlotte and Jake were headed.

Charlotte felt her cheeks burning. “Oh. Silly me!” she said, trying to make light of her mistake and then turning to the girl and giving her a smile. She was a beautiful little thing, with long blonde hair, in which she wore a blue hairband with a bow on and her eyes were dark brown, just like her father’s (at least she assumed he was their father, even though they hadn’t inherited his thick curly chestnut brown hair). “This is our first day, so we don’t know the rules yet,” Charlotte explained.

“It’s Henry’s first day too!” the little girl chimed, grinning. Charlotte looked at the little boy next to her. You could tell they were related, as he had blonde hair and brown eyes, just like his sister.

Charlotte’s eyes wandered back to the children’s father. His expression had changed to one she could not read, but the intensity of his gaze remained and it made her feel rather off-balance. She swallowed uncomfortably. “We are trying to find Mr Stringer’s class, I don’t suppose you could show us the way?” she asked him.

“Henry’s in Mr Stringer’s class!” the girl responded and Charlotte’s eyes flicked back to her. “It’s this way.” she said, as she started leading the way.

“Thank you,” Charlotte replied, wondering if her father was going to speak again, or let his daughter do all the talking.

The man gave her an exasperated look and held out his arm, ushering her to follow the girl, whilst he kept hold of his son’s hand.

They walked in silence next to each other and Charlotte bit her lip feeling very awkward, until she could bear the silence no longer. “I really am very sorry for running into you.”

“The one way system was set out in the school welcome pack they sent out, didn’t you read it?” the man responded, obviously still annoyed with her.

Charlotte felt her anger rising, but there was also a little embarrassment. She had read the school welcome pack, but hadn’t memorised all the information, for there was a lot to take in. Besides, it was not like she ran into him on purpose. “Right… Well, I have apologised, so perhaps you could cut me a little slack on the first day,” she couldn’t help but snap back, for he was being a real dick about it.

The man huffed in irritation. “Why were you running at such a speed anyway? You could have sent a child flying!”

Charlotte glanced at him with narrowed eyes, for his tone was so dismissive and she didn’t like what he was implying. “Well I didn’t, did I? Instead I was unfortunate enough to have bumped into you!” she said, through gritted teeth.

“I’m sure a child would consider that fortunate! And what sort of childminder doesn’t read the welcome pack? Surely it’s your job to know such things!” he said.

“Childminder? I’m not the childminder! I’m Jake’s Mum and I’m a bundle of nerves on his first day, so there is no need to be so… so uncivil,” Charlotte responded in a hushed voice, trying not to say anything too rude in retaliation, even though many expletives were going round in her head.

“Here we are,” the girl said.

Charlotte forced a smile. “Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome,” the girl replied.

“Well, don’t you have lovely manners!” Charlotte said, emphasising the praise more loudly than necessary, to make a point. How was it possible that this little girl had learned such polite manners, when her father was the complete opposite? Perhaps it was from her mother? The thought suddenly made Charlotte’s eyes flick to the man’s left hand and she clocked the wedding ring. Hopefully the mother would pick them up from school later, so she wouldn’t have to bump into this man again.

“Charlotte!” called a voice from across the playground. Charlotte looked around and saw Georgiana walking up to her with Molly and Sienna in the buggy. Charlotte sighed with relief, as she really wanted to get away from this unpleasant man. “You know, we really should have arranged to walk to school together,” Georgiana added.

“Yeah, we should,” Charlotte replied, as thankfully the man walked away from her.

“Hi Jake! You look so smart in your school uniform!” Georgiana said to him and Jake gave her a cheeky smile in return.

The teacher, Mr Stringer, emerged from the classroom and ushered the children into class. Some of them skipped in without looking back, others were looking rather nervous.

“Come on then, buddy, time to go to class,” Charlotte said encouragingly.

“I don’t want to, Mummy!” Jake said, next to her, which almost broke her heart.

Charlotte crouched down to his level and took both his hands in hers. “Oh sweetheart! I know you're a little bit nervous, but it’ll be OK.”

Jake shook his head and stuck his lip out, about to cry.

“Look, Molly’s going in now, why don’t you go and catch up with her. Perhaps you can sit together?” Charlotte suggested, but Jake started to sob. She tried a new tactic. “Do you remember when we talked to Mr Stringer on the phone, you showed him your dinosaurs and he said that there would be some dinosaurs to play with in school. Shall we go and ask him about them?”

“No. I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you,” Jake said, the tears now falling down his cheeks.

“Everything alright here?” said a voice over Charlotte’s shoulder. It was Mr Stringer. She stood up to greet him.

“Some first day at school nerves, I think,” she replied, feeling teary herself now.

Mr Stringer gave her a kind smile, but Jake grabbed onto her even tighter. “Mummy! I want to stay with you!” Jake cried.

Mr Stringer crouched down to Jake’s level. “Hi Jake, do you remember talking to me on the phone?” he said. Jake hid his face away from him. “Have you met Henry yet? He likes dinosaurs like you.”

Charlotte looked back over to the man standing with his son, Henry, and his daughter. He was staring at her and she felt her cheeks burning again. She quickly looked away, so as not give him the satisfaction of showing how uncomfortable she was under his gaze.

“Why don’t you come with me and Henry and we can find some dinosaurs together?” Mr Stringer said.

“No…” Jake whinged.

“Come on Jakey. It’ll be alright. I’ll be here to pick you up later,” Charlotte said.

But Jake was having none of it and in the end, Mr Stringer had to carry him crying, into the classroom, as Charlotte watched after him with tears in her eyes. She didn’t expect him to react like that at all.

Georgiana came up to Charlotte once Jake had gone and rubbed her arm. “He’ll be fine,” she whispered, but Charlotte couldn’t stop some tears falling down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away. “Come on, let’s go back to mine for a cuppa,” Georgiana said and led her away.

Sidney watched, as the woman who had run into him wiped the tears away from her eyes and he felt a pang of guilt for being so cold with her earlier. No, cold wasn’t the right word, for he knew he usually had a cold manner with people, but this morning, he had gone up to a whole new level with this woman and had to admit that he had been a complete arsehole. For some reason, as soon as their eyes had met she had riled up something within him and it was like he couldn’t stop himself from snapping at her. He had been in a bad mood anyway, milestones like this one, Henry’s first day at school, were always the hardest without his wife to share them with. Still, he felt a bit sorry for her, the mystery woman (whose name he thought was something like Chloe, or Caitlyn, as her mum friend had shouted it earlier. Not that her name mattered to him of course…) for it was a difficult school drop off and she had admitted she was nervous about it. Henry had had no trouble at all, but then ever since Jenny had started school two years ago, he was desperate to join her. In fact, he had skipped right into class without looking back.

Even though the woman had irritated him, Sidney continued to gaze at her, for some reason finding himself curious about her. She seemed young to be a mum to a four year old, which is why he had assumed she was the childminder. She was rather pretty though, he had to concede, especially her big doe like brown eyes, whose look had got him so rattled, and her plump pink lips, which she had so alluring drawn between her teeth earlier, when she was cross with him… along with the fact she had a very pleasing figure…

The bell rang, shaking Sidney out of his reverie. “Daddy, we’re going to be late to my class!” Jenny said, crossing her arms in admonishment.

Sidney tore his eyes away from the woman and smirked at his daughter. “Sorry Jenny. Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand and walking her to her class.

************

“Feeling a bit better?” Georgiana asked Charlotte, as they sat round Georgiana’s kitchen table, with a cup of coffee, after Sienna had been put down for a nap.

“Yes, thanks. I can’t believe I was one of those mum’s that cried!” Charlotte said, embarrassed.

Georgiana smiled back at her. “It is nothing to be ashamed about. I probably would have cried too, if Molly had done the same.”

“I really thought Jake would be OK.”

“He will be OK once he’s in there. You know what kids are like?” responded Georgiana.

“Yes, you’re right,” Charlotte replied, taking a sip of her coffee. “Perhaps I should have prepared him better, but he’s never been clingy or shy. I suppose moving here has been harder for him than I thought.”

“Kids always take a while to adjust to change, but he will. Where did you move from anyway?”

“A village called Willingden, about 80 miles from here. My parents own a farm there,” Charlotte replied.

“Is that where Jake’s father lives?” Georgiana asked, trying to be subtle.

Charlotte should have expected Georgiana’s question really, seeing as they were getting more friendly, but still, it caught her unawares. “Oh, no he doesn’t. He’s not on the scene actually… he never has been. It’s just me and Jake.”

Georgiana’s eyebrows raised. “Right.”

Charlotte quickly sipped her coffee. She really needed to be more prepared for these questions. She was expecting it from Mr Stringer, in their phone call before Jake started school (they had missed the pre-visits, seeing as they were still in Willingden at the time, so Mr Stringer had video called her instead) for they needed to know about Jake’s family situation, but she needed some new tactics when being asked by new acquaintances.

“So, has Jake never met his Dad?” Georgiana said, evidently pressing the subject, which Charlotte really didn’t wish to talk about.

“No… This coffee is great. I really ought to get myself one of these Tassimo coffee systems. I enjoy a good latte,” Charlotte replied, hastily changing the subject and taking another gulp of her drink.

Georgiana got the hint, but continued to look at her with intrigue. “Yes, although it is a poor substitute for the coffee at Julia’s Cafe. We really must go there sometime. Her Carrot Cake is to die for!”

“Sounds good, but it will have to be after school, or at the weekend, as from tomorrow, I will be working Monday-Friday,” Charlotte answered.

“Ah yes, your job with Lady Denham. I can’t say I know much about her, other than she is the Patron for a few local charities. You’ll have to fill me in on what she’s like, along with that grand house of hers,” Georgiana responded.

“Well, I am already inclined to like her at the moment, given she let me negotiate my hours, so that I can do the school drop and run.”

“Yes, it’s hard to find a job that is flexible to work around school.”

“Are you going back to work do you think?” Charlotte asked.

“I doubt it. Any money I earn will all go towards childcare for Sienna, so what’s the point?”

“What did you do before?”

“I was the Restaurant Manager at Tilney’s - the restaurant in town, but I haven’t worked since I had Molly. I met Otis there actually,” Georgiana replied, a smile appearing on her face.

“Ah, this sounds like the start of a good story… you must tell me, for I am quite the romantic at heart,” Charlotte said, smirking over her coffee cup.

Georgiana laughed. “Very well…” she agreed, and then proceeded to tell the tale of them meeting, when Otis started as a Chef in the kitchen of the restaurant and he mistook her for a waitress, instead of the Manager, He was unforgivably rude and sanctimonious, but the ice soon thawed between them and they fell deeply in love and hadn’t looked back since.

As Charlotte was listening to the tale and watched Georgiana swooning, she couldn’t help but be a bit jealous. She was happy, of course, that her friend had found her Soulmate, but she wanted that for herself. It couldn’t happen with Jake’s father. He was never her soulmate, just a mistake, even if that mistake had led her to having Jake, who was the most precious thing in her world. How could she go about looking for a Soulmate, now she had Jake anyhow? She might as well admit defeat for the time being. It wasn’t on her list of priorities anyway, even if she did crave a partner, a lover and someone to share her life with.

After an hour or so with Georgiana, Charlotte bid her farewell and went home, where she spent the rest of the day doing some more unpacking and other chores, whilst watching daytime TV! Then, all too soon, it was time to pick Jake up from school and she made her way there with Georgiana and Sienna. When they arrived outside Mr Stringer’s classroom, Charlotte was dismayed to see the man she had walked into that morning, standing there waiting for his son. She tried to avoid looking at him, but she couldn’t help it. For some reason, it bothered her that he felt badly of her, even if she had given him no reason to. There was nothing more she could do, though. She had apologised twice and it was only an accident. If he was going to be a dick about it, then that was his problem and not hers.

Anxiously, Charlotte waited for the children to leave the classroom and she saw Jake come out. He gave her a huge smile and she was hit with a wave of relief. One by one, the children ran up to their parents and when it was Jake’s turn, he hurtled towards her so fast, that he tripped and fell flat on his face. Charlotte hurried to him as fast as she could, but someone got there first…

Sidney could see that Jake was going to face plant the floor as soon as he started running towards his mum, for he was wearing a big rucksack and looked unsteady. His eyes followed the little boy as he ran and when he tripped, Sidney reacted on instinct and ran towards him, getting there first.

“Hey Champ, that was a nasty fall. Let’s help you up and assess the damage,” Sidney said, as he helped Jake up onto his feet and his mother joined him.

“Oh buddy, what happened? What hurts?” his mother said, as Jake started sobbing.

“My knee!” he cried.

They looked down to see that there was a big rip in in Jake’s school trousers, revealing a nasty cut to his knee.

“You’ll need a plaster on that one I think,” his mother said. “But I’m afraid I don’t have any on me.”

“I’ve got some… along with some antiseptic wipes,” Sidney offered.

The woman looked up at him with her big brown eyes and a cute frown between her eyebrows. She really was very beautiful.

“That’s OK, we’ll be fine,” the woman responded rather tersely, for which he couldn’t blame her, given his behaviour this morning, but still, her stubbornness was irritating in this particular moment.

Sidney sighed. “Just take it. It isn’t a problem,” he said, reaching into his bag, taking out the plasters and wipes and handing them to her.

The woman looked at them for a moment and then took the supplies from him.

“Thank you,” she said, with a confused look on her face and then got to work with fixing her son’s knee. As she did so, Mr Stringer approached them.

“Ah Jake, what happened?” said Mr Stringer, as he walked over to join them.

“I fell over and hurt my knee,” Jake replied.

“Looks like a bad one. You’ve ripped your trousers too, I see!” Mr Stringer commented.

“Yes, nothing like putting holes in your brand new trousers on the first day,” the woman replied and smiled and when she did, it seemed to light up her whole face and make her even more beautiful.

“How has Jake been today?” the woman asked, and Sidney could sense that this was a conversation that he shouldn’t be privy to, especially as Mr Stringer looked at him awkwardly. He decided to make a swift exit and left them to it, but not before looking back at the woman first. She was watching after him. Their eyes met and he felt it again: some sort of stirring which was thrilling yet infuriating at the same time. He nodded at her and then turned his face forward and walked away.

Charlotte watched the man leave, still feeling very bemused by his behaviour, which was so markedly different from just a few hours ago. He turned back to look at her and she felt the blush in her cheeks return. She didn’t want him to think she was looking at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He nodded at her, and then walked away, so she quickly brought her attention back to Mr Stringer.

“Overall, Jake’s had a good day, but it did take him a little while to settle in the morning. The afternoon was better and he spent a lot of time playing with the dinosaurs with another child, during our independent learning session.”

Charlotte forced a smile. “I feel terrible about this morning. He’s never usually clingy and I had no idea he would react like that.”

“I think he just needs a little while to adjust. There’s been lots of changes all at once. He’ll get there though.”

Charlotte nodded, but seemed concerned. “Please try not to worry Mrs Heywood,” Mr Stringer said.

“Oh, it’s Miss actually,” Charlotte clarified, although she wasn’t really sure why.

Mr Stringer shook his head and there was a slight blush on his cheeks. “Of course, I remember. Sorry.”

“Not a problem.”

“Let’s see how Jake gets on tomorrow, but for now we’ll pair him up with one of our Teaching Assistants, at least for the drop off, said Mr Stringer.

“OK, thank you,” Charlotte replied.

“No problem. See you tomorrow Jake. I hope the knee’s OK.”

Jake wasn’t really paying attention. “Mummy. Can I have a snack?” he said.

Charlotte and Mr Stringer looked at each other and smiled. “I think he’s OK.” Charlotte replied, “Bye.”

“Bye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please continue to check out the playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5AmWROaNmVuInvsuEHt3Hx?si=7dkibQ6uSg2soGjrDTJOxw
> 
> Glossary of Terms
> 
> Cacophonous: An unpleasant mixture of sounds.
> 
> WI: The Women's Institute - details here: https://www.thewi.org.uk/


	4. The Overture of Lady Denham

It had not been the most graceful of starts to school for Charlotte and Jake, with both of them taking a tumble (or at least nearly taking one in the case of Charlotte) on the first day, but it was Jake that had come off worse. At least Charlotte had sensibly bought several pairs of school trousers and shorts, but she wasn’t expecting him to destroy a pair on the first day! Jake was a bit of a ‘bull in a china shop’, always rushing about everywhere, with very little spatial awareness. Charlotte thought it stemmed from when he was a baby, for he was an early crawler and was walking before he was one, but in his eagerness to walk, he was forever falling over and bumping into things. Obviously, he had improved his technique since then, but Jake preferred running to walking (save where they were heading to somewhere he didn’t want to go) and if something was in his way, then he would inevitably bang into it, which is why Charlotte kept all breakable objects in cupboards. However, after yesterday’s incident, with the mystery man with the strong grip and acid tongue, Charlotte now understood where Jake had inherited his clumsiness from! She still felt incredibly embarrassed about running full pelt into the man, along with their spiky conversation afterwards. But she was also confused, because at the School Pick-Up, his behaviour had completely shifted and he was actually… kind. The encounters had been much on her mind and she wondered if the man would be here today, or whether his wife would be dropping the children off instead.

Today was a new day, and Charlotte tried not to be too apprehensive for the school drop, for she was sure Jake would pick up on it if she were and then he’d be anxious too. This was easier said than done, however, because Charlotte was starting her new job today and she was a little nervous about it. They walked with Georgiana, Molly and Sienna to school, but Jake did not want to skip ahead with Molly. Instead he chose to hold onto Charlotte’s hand for the duration of the walk, which was out of character. When they arrived at the school, they meandered up to Mr Stringer’s classroom, waiting outside for him with the other parents, to let the children in. Charlotte looked around, and sure enough, there was the mystery man, stood with his two children a few metres away from her. Their eyes met, and Charlotte felt her cheeks blush as she hastily looked away from him. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t usually one to be embarrassed about these things, but there was something about his look that made her really uncomfortable.

Mr Stringer emerged from the classroom with a Teaching Assistant: a young woman wearing a little too much make-up than was necessary, but she looked nice enough. Mr Stringer caught Charlotte’s eye and smiled. She pulled Jake’s hand to walk towards him, and Jake followed, dragging his feet as he did so.

“Good morning Jake,” Mr Stringer said. “This is Miss Beaufort. She’s going to sit with you this morning if that’s OK?”

Jake looked up at him with tears in his eyes and his bottom lip sticking out. “Mummy…” Jake began.

Charlotte gave him a hug. “It’s OK sweetheart. You go off with Miss Beaufort and I will see you later.”

Jake let out a sob and Charlotte felt her heart break again.

“Come on Jake, let’s go in and hang up your things. Do you remember what the picture is on your peg?” Miss Beaufort asked.

Jake nodded through the tears. “T-Rex.”

“Well remembered. Come with me and you can tell me all you know about him,” Miss Beaufort said, taking Jake’s hand.

Jake continued to sob, but he did at least go with Miss Beaufort and Charlotte watched after him. “He’ll be fine once we get stuck into the lessons,” Mr Stringer said.

“Thank you,” Charlotte said, the tears pricking her eyes, but she was determined not to cry again.

“No problem,” Mr Stringer replied, nodding, and then diverted his attention to the rest of his class.

Sidney found himself watching the woman from yesterday with her son, as he was taken into the classroom by a teaching assistant. It was a better drop off than before, but still quite difficult and he noticed the woman had tears in her eyes… those eyes, what was it about her eyes? For when his eyes had met hers, he had felt it again… a feeling of uneasiness, restlessness and vulnerability that made him drawn to her, yet also made him want to run in the opposite direction. He shook his head and told himself to get over it and then walked to drop off Jenny at her class.

***********

Charlotte wasn’t quite prepared for the grandeur of her new employer’s abode. She knew Lady Denham had a 17th Century Manor House, but she did not expect a Palace - for that was the first word that came to mind when she saw it! There appeared to be a hundred sash windows and it was nestled into acres of countryside. Charlotte couldn’t quite believe such a place existed, just over a mile outside Sanditon! She had parked the car outside the front of the house, and then hit the button at the gate to be let in. A female voice asked for her name and then buzzed her through the gate. Charlotte walked down the drive towards the house, marvelling at the size of the property. She started to fret a little about her choice of outfit. Lady Denham had said there was no dress code, but Charlotte was worried that her choice of jeans and a white blouse was not smart enough, even if she had teamed it up with her suede black boots which had a small heel and a black jacket.

When she got to the front of the property, she used the enormous door handle to bang on the door. It was opened by a middle aged lady, who was smartly dressed, in a lavender suit and court shoes and her hair was neatly tied back in a bun. She looked Charlotte up and down with an air of disapproval.

“Charlotte Heywood, I presume?” the lady said.

“Yes,” Charlotte answered, now very unsure about her wardrobe choice.

“I am Mrs Miller, The Housekeeper.”

“Yes, I remember, from the interview.” Charlotte replied.

“Indeed. Lady Denham is in the Drawing Room. Please follow me,” the Housekeeper said, and Charlotte followed her through the door.

When she entered the house, Charlotte couldn’t help but gasp, for she had walked into the most incredible entrance hall. It had a ruby red carpet with a gold regal diamond pattern, that stretched the entire length of the floor and huge gothic paintings were hung on the walls. In front of her was a wide wooden staircase, with elaborate carvings of fruit along the banisters. She stood stunned for a moment, taking it all in, for she had never been anywhere like it.

“Miss Heywood?” Mrs Miller said, shaking her out of her musings.

“Sorry,” Charlotte muttered and followed her down the hallway, the floorboards creaking every so often under her feet.

They arrived outside a huge wooden door, which Mrs Miller knocked on gently. “Enter,” said the voice within, and Charlotte swallowed nervously.

Mrs Miller opened the door and ushered Charlotte through it. They walked into the most enormous room Charlotte had ever seen. It had a black stone floor and paintings of mythical creatures lined the walls. A couple of sofas and armchairs had been placed in the middle of the room, surrounding a large fireplace. At the end of the room was a garish gold sculpture of Neptune, and there was also a grand piano in front of one of the sash windows, which looked out to the rear gardens. A lady was sitting in an armchair, facing away from them, such that Charlotte could only see the top of the back of her head.

Mrs Miller beckoned Charlotte to follow and they made their way over to the lady, their feet tapping on the stone floor as they did so. Mrs Miller and Charlotte walked around the chairs and then stopped to stand before a very glamorous lady, who Charlotte immediately recognised from the interview as Lady Denham. Lady Denham was wearing a smart navy jacket and skirt combination, with a light blue blouse underneath. She wore some pearls round her neck and in her ears were matching pearl drop earrings. Her hair was a sandy/grey colour, but there were very few wrinkles on her skin and her make-up was immaculate. Charlotte could also smell a strong musty perfume, which she guessed was Lily of the Valley. She was looking at Charlotte with curiosity and a hint of displeasure, which Charlotte thought may be to do with her choice of outfit. She rallied herself and tried to exude confidence, when in reality she was feeling rather intimidated.

“Ma’am, may I introduce Miss Charlotte Heywood, your new companion,” said Mrs Miller.

“Miss Heywood. It is nice to meet you in person. I do hate using all this modern technology, it is so confusing!” Lady Denham responded.

Charlotte wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. “It is nice to meet you too, Lady Denham. You have an incredible house. I’ve never been anywhere quite like it!”

Lady Denham forced a smile. “Yes, quite. How are you liking Sanditon so far?”

“I am quite taken with the place. I’m enjoying the novelty of living with the sea on my doorstep,” Charlotte said enthusiastically.

“I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. We have some of the finest beaches on the South Coast, and we’ve been awarded the Blue Flag for the past three years running, you know.”

“The beach is certainly very… clean,” Charlotte responded.

“Have you explored much of the town yet?”

“A little… I’ve been to the Leisure Centre and the Library...”

“Ah yes, the Library, that was one of the projects I was involved with,” Lady Denham said, smiling. “We redeveloped the building a couple of years ago, after the Council decided to close it - knocked it down and rebuilt it from the ground up, with new and improved facilities, a Cafe and a space for Community Groups.”

“You are involved in development projects, Ma’am?”

“Yes, at least I invest in them in partnership with Parker Developments. As you can see, I am not short of money,” Lady Denham smirked. “And I like to support local projects and causes. I am the Patron of eight local groups and charities!”

“That is very admirable.”

“The next project I am supporting is the building of a Concert Hall.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “A Concert Hall is a wonderful idea! Are you fond of music?”

“Very much so. In fact, I am the Patron of the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra. Have you heard of it?”

“No, I can’t say that I have.”

Lady Denham’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Well, this does surprise me, for it has quite the reputation! Perhaps word hasn’t travelled as far as Wellington,” said Lady Denham. Charlotte bit her tongue, feeling that correcting her regarding the name of her home village was not a good idea right now. “What did you think of the Library?”

“It was… very well stocked with books. My son came away with an armful to read and is enjoying them a lot,” Charlotte said.

“Ah yes, I remember you have a son, even though you look much too young to have a child, let alone one who is school age!” Lady Denham said, looking her up and down, and Charlotte felt a wave of insecurity.

“I think that is a compliment, Ma’am,” she answered with some uncertainty.

Lady Denham continued to scrutinise her with her eyes. “And where is his Father?”

Charlotte couldn’t believe Lady Denham had decided to address this question so soon in their acquaintance. She cleared her throat. “He is not in the picture.”

Lady Denham frowned. “It cannot be good for a child to grow up without a Father,” she commented rather insensitively.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. She knew it was not proper to offer a retort to her employer, especially when she had only just been introduced to her, but she couldn’t help it. “I would ask you not to judge my situation, Lady Denham, when you are not appraised of the facts. Sometimes life is complicated. Jake’s Father cannot give him anything that I can’t give him myself. A lack of a Father in his life, does not mean he is missing anything!”

Lady Denham stared at her for a moment and Charlotte wondered if she had offended her. “Upon my word, you are very outspoken, Miss Heywood!” Lady Denham said.

“I am sorry if that offends you, Lady Denham.”

Lady Denham regarded her shrewdly. “I am not offended,” she said and then smirked. “Right. I suppose you ought to have a tour of the house and then we’ll have coffee and talk some more about your role here. I think we’ll have it in the conservatory, Mrs Miller.”

“Very well,” Mrs Miller replied, as she led a very bemused Charlotte out of the drawing room.

The tour of Sanditon House (for that was its name) took a lot longer than Charlotte was envisioning, for Mrs Miller wanted to show Charlotte almost every room and explain its features, history and function. Charlotte was sure she could be a Tour Guide if required! She was also introduced to two other members of the household staff: Mr Robinson, who was the Estate Manager and Mrs Lucas, who ran the Kitchen. It seemed like a very small staff team for such a large property, but as Lady Denham appeared to live here on her own, Charlotte supposed she did not need that many staff. Mrs Miller also confirmed that they used contractors and local tradesmen for jobs such as the cleaning, gardening and building maintenance.

After about an hour, Mrs Miller finally led Charlotte back to Lady Denham, taking the coffee trolley Mrs Lucas had prepared with them. The Conservatory was an intriguing room, for it was absolutely crammed full of orchids. Lady Denham was tending to one as they walked in.

“Wow!” Charlotte explained. “You must be a big fan of orchids, Lady Denham. I am jealous, as I am hopeless with house plants.”

Lady Denham turned round and walked towards her. Charlotte noticed that she had a little bit of a limp and winced a little when she walked. “Orchids are very delicate plants. A lot comes down to where you position them as to whether they will thrive or not, a Conservatory, like this one, is ideal. Kitchens and bathrooms are also good, because of the moisture in the air. They need plenty of light, and very little water.”

“Perhaps that is where I am going wrong then,” Charlotte replied.

“Please, sit Miss Heywood,” Lady Denham said, ushering her to a seat and then taking one herself.

“You may call me Charlotte if you wish.”

“I do not call my staff by their first names. It would be improper,” Lady Denham replied.

Charlotte wasn’t sure how to reply to this statement, so she remained silent. “How do you take your coffee Miss Heywood?” Mrs Miller asked.

“Just milk please,” Charlotte replied.

“Did you enjoy the tour? Do you think you can find your way round again?” Lady Denham asked, with a smirk.

“I believe so. You have a truly remarkable house. I imagine it has a vibrant history,” Charlotte commented, as she took the coffee from Mrs Miller and thanked her for it.

“That it does. It has been in the Denham family for centuries, passing from father to son, until me that is.”

“How did it come into your possession?”

“My husband inherited it, and then when he passed, it went to me.”

“You do not have any children Ma’am?”

“No, we were not blessed. So that means that I get to choose who inherits this house, and certainly, there are many of my relatives that are trying to wheedle their way into my affections, so that I will favour them in my will,” she said, chuckling. “Oh, but I am onto them! My nephew, Edward, would be the obvious choice, as he is the next Denham male heir down the line, but I don’t trust him one iota! He may have the Denham name, but he is yet to show me that he has earned it. There is also his sister Esther… or should I say step-sister, for they are not related by blood. We don’t get on… And Clara, who is my sister’s granddaughter, she lives here you know, taking advantage of my generous hospitality. I have no doubt they are each of them scheming behind my back. Well, I will show them. It is my house, my fortune. I will leave it to whomever I wish!” she said.

Charlotte was rather taken aback by how forthright Lady Denham was. She cleared her throat. “That is certainly your prerogative, Ma’am,” she replied, and then took another gulp of coffee, secretly pleased that Lady Denham’s conversation would be lively.

Lady Denham regarded Charlotte again. “Yes indeed… So, Miss Heywood, we should discuss what you will be doing with your time here. As you can see, I am getting frail in my old age, and I am due to have a hip replacement in a couple of weeks, where I anticipate being quite dependent on the assistance of others. I will need someone to help care for me, and expect you to offer stimulating conversation and entertainment throughout my period of convalescence. You will also need to assist Mrs Miller, with responding to correspondence and managing other household tasks. I would like your help with errands too, and for you to accompany me to business meetings and out and about where required. As agreed, your working hours are restricted to school hours, however, I would like to explore with you, whether you can accompany me on the odd evening out. My presence is often requested for events in the town, you see. Of course I will pay you time and a half for any work undertaken over your contracted hours.”

“I am sure that could be arranged if I am given plenty of notice to find a babysitter,” Charlotte replied.

“Good. Mrs Miller, would you fetch my diary so I can run some dates past Miss Heywood?”

“Of course, Ma’am,” Mrs Miller replied, exiting the room.

Charlotte took another sip of coffee and then asked. “You said you were fond of music, Lady Denham. What sort of music is it that you like to listen to?”

“The romantic composers, Brahms, Strauss, Greig…”

“Certainly Greig’s Peer Gynt Suite is absolutely stunning.” Charlotte remarked.

Lady Denham raised her eyebrows. “You know about classical music?”

Charlotte smiled smugly back at her. “A little.”

Lady Denham chuckled. “Well, Miss Heywood. I think we may get on after all.”

******

The rest of Charlotte’s first day was not at all what she had expected. After coffee, Lady Denham had asked Charlotte to help her take a short walk around the gardens, which were also quite something to behold. Then she asked her to read to her, for her eyes were not what the used to be and reading often gave her a headache. After that was lunch and helping Lady Denham write some emails. This was followed by tea in the drawing room, and then it was time for Charlotte to go and pick up Jake from school.

When Charlotte turned up at school for pick up time, she found herself looking around to see if the mystery man was here again… but he wasn’t and in truth, she felt a little disappointed. Before she could dwell on it though, Georgiana jogged up to her, looking rather flushed.

“Everything OK?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes… we just got here in time. Sienna was so grouchy when I had to wake her from her nap and then she decided to poo… not that you needed to know that… anyway, we’re here,” Georgiana said, taking a deep breath. “How was your first day?” she asked.

“Er… I’m still processing it to be honest. Lady Denham is a rather eccentric character,” Charlotte replied.

“Sounds intriguing…”

“Yes. It is certainly going to be an interesting job! Not many people get paid to chat and have tea,” Charlotte responded.

“Is that all you’re doing?”

“Well… that’s what I did mostly today. However, Mrs Miller, the Housekeeper, has given me a list of jobs for tomorrow, so I don’t think it’s going to be like this everyday!”

“She has a Housekeeper?!”

“Of course - have you not seen the house? I honestly thought I was meeting the Queen when I arrived! Lady Denham even has a red carpet in the entrance hall! It is quite extraordinary!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“God, it’s like another world!”

“Yes, it is rather,” Charlotte responded.

“Oh… here they come,” said Georgiana.

Charlotte’s eyes flicked to the classroom and Mr Stringer’s class were coming out.Jake’s eyes clocked hers and he gave her a wide smile.

“Mummy!” he called and started waving and Charlotte waved back.

When it was Jake’s turn to be reunited with Charlotte, Mr Stringer walked over with him.

“How’s he been?” Charlotte asked anxiously.

“Not too bad. He settled a bit quicker today and he’s starting to make some friends,” he replied. “There was one incident though, that I need to make you aware of,” he said, and then spoke in hushed tones. “I’m not sure how the conversation started or exactly what was said, but one of the children picked up on the fact that Jake’s father is not around. Jake was very upset.”

“Right!” Charlotte replied, biting her lip in agitation.

“I don’t think there was any malice behind it, but we will be doing some PSHE lessons on family in the next week or so, to educate the children about different family situations. Jake isn’t the only child in a single parent family.”

“OK,” Charlotte said.

“I’m sorry, it’s a bit of a struggle, but Jake will settle in and I can assure you we will do everything to try and make things a bit easier for him.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte responded, forcing a smile. “Right, come on Jake, let’s get you home,” she said, wanting to leave before she got emotional again.

“Bye Henry!” Jake called over to Henry. Charlotte’s eyes immediately glanced over to where Jake was waving, but instead of the mystery man, a blonde woman was standing with him. Given the colour of her hair, Charlotte assumed it must be Henry’s Mother and she felt her heart sink and she wasn’t sure why, but she blamed it on the fact that she was sad, that Jake did not have two parents that loved him and Henry did.

She sighed deeply, as Georgiana caught up with her and they made their way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms:
> 
> Blue Flag: https://www.blueflag.global/our-programme
> 
> Overture: a piece of music written as an introduction to an opera or a ballet. 
> 
> PSHE: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
> 
> Links to interesting websites:
> 
> http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/06/29/carnival-of-the-animals-saint-saens - nice little commentary on the Carnival of the Animals Saint Saens which has been added to the playlist.
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/flute/worlds-oldest-instrument-neanderthal-flute/ - the oldest known instrument!
> 
> Fun fact (from @dejong679): my Auntie grows orchids in her conservatory like Lady Denham. I was always hopeless with them until I got one when my daughter was born... six years and still going strong!!


	5. Da Capo al Coda

By the time Sidney arrived at Trafalgar House, it was almost the kids’ bedtime. He hadn’t meant to work late, but there was a big issue at one of the sites, which had demanded his attention all day. Sidney was managing one of Parker Developments’ current Projects - the development of some commercial buildings in Sanditon Business Park, which had hit quite a few snags. He had hoped to pick up the kids from school, as it was Henry’s first week and he wanted to make sure he was settling in, but at the last moment, he had had to call upon his sister-in-law, Mary, to pick them up instead. Mary had taken Henry and Jenny back to Trafalgar House and had given them some dinner.

After saying hello to his kids, who were happily watching TV with their cousins, Sidney went into the kitchen to see Mary, who was washing-up.

“Sidney! We were getting worried about you!” Mary exclaimed.

“Sorry to be so late. Thanks so much for taking care of the kids.”

“It was no problem. Do you want some dinner? I’ve kept some back for you?”

“That would be amazing! Thank you!” Sidney responded appreciatively, as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Mary loaded a plateful of food and handed it to him and he immediately started tucking in.

“Did you not stop for lunch today?” Mary said, giggling.

“Not really! Sorted it all out in the end though. Where’s Tom?”

“Still at the office, didn’t you see him?” she asked.

“Only briefly, I came straight from the site,” Sidney explained.

Mary sighed. “He’s always back late at the moment. I feel like I’ve hardly seen him this past month.”

“It’s a busy time and we’ve probably bitten off a bit more than we can chew. We could do with another Project Manager really, but until we can start letting out the completed units, we can’t really afford it,” Sidney remarked.

“I thought you’d found tenants for all the units?”

“Not all of them, and nothing’s a done deal until the buildings are constructed.”

“Oh I see.

“Anyway, back to happier topics. Did you get anything out of Henry and Jenny about school today; they were too engrossed in the TV to want to talk to me?!” Sidney said, between mouthfuls.

“Actually, on the walk home from school, Henry talked non-stop about a little boy called Jake.”

Sidney’s stomach flipped and he almost dropped his fork. “Jake?!”

“Yes. He is a fellow dinosaur enthusiast. Apparently they spent a lot of time looking for fossils today,” said Mary, with a smile. “He has already asked about a Playdate.”

“Right,” replied Sidney, not sure what to say.

“He also mentioned that Jake was sad today; something about some children teasing him, because he doesn’t have a Dad,” said Mary.

Sidney swallowed his mouthful before he had finished chewing and it got slightly lodged in his throat, causing him to choke. He grabbed his glass of water and chugged it down.

“Are you alright?” Mary said.

“Yes,” Sidney croaked, still coughing and feeling quite embarrassed. Once he had caught his breath, he said “Any other news?”

“That is about the extent of it, I think. Oh, and Jenny got awarded a certificate for her excellent writing today. She read her story to me, it was very funny!” Mary replied. “You should get her to read it to you later.”

“I will, thanks. And thanks for dinner and picking up the kids… and everything really.”

“Anytime. We’re here for you, OK? Whenever you need it,” said Mary, with a soft smile.

“Thanks Mary.”

The front door went and Tom walked into the kitchen. “Ah, Sidney. Busy day today, huh?” he said, as he planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek and she dished him up some dinner too. Tom sat down next to Sidney.

“Yes, but I think we’ve ironed out all the issues at the Longbourne Road Site for now.”

“Marvellous! I need to update you about the Concert Hall…” Tom began.

“Do we have to do this now, Tom? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Sidney said, really not wishing to have this conversation after the day he had had.

“But Sidney…”

“Tom, can’t you see Sidney’s had a day of it, and by the looks of things you have too? Those kids need to get to bed soon as well,” Mary interjected.

Tom looked rather sheepish. “You’re right, sorry Sidney. You know I get a bit carried away with myself sometimes.”

Sidney forced a smile. “It’s OK. I’ll head to your office after visiting the site tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Tom responded and they spent the rest of dinner avoiding work topics, much to Sidney’s relief.

“Right. I better get these kids to bed. Thanks for dinner, Mary. It was delicious as always,” Sidney said, as he walked into the living room, to try and persuade his kids it was time to leave.

Fifteen minutes later, Sidney and the kids got back to their own three bedroom semi-detached house. As he was putting them to bed, Sidney decided to ask Henry what had happened with Jake.

“So, Auntie Mary tells me you have made friends with Jake?” he said.

“Yes. He likes dinosaurs like me. Can he come over for a playdate?” Henry asked.

“Perhaps. I’ll have to talk to his Mum.”

Henry’s face turned serious. “Jake was sad today.”

“Why was he sad?”

“Because he hasn’t got a Dad. So I told him I haven’t got a Mum, cos she died. But Jake said he’s never had a Dad. I asked Jake why he doesn’t have a Dad, and Jake said he didn’t know and then Mason started laughing, because everyone has a Dad and that made Jake cry,” Henry replied, very matter of factly.

Sidney frowned. “Did anyone say anything to you about not having a Mum?” he asked him.

“No.”

“You’ll tell me, won’t you, if anyone makes you sad about Mummy?”

“Yes Daddy,” Henry replied.

“Good boy. Now… time for sleep,” Sidney said, tucking him in.

“You will remember to ask Jake’s Mummy about a playdate, won’t you?” Henry pleaded.

“Yes, I will. Night night. I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” Henry replied.

Sidney gave Henry a kiss, left the room and turned off the light. He then went to see Jenny, where she told him her funny story and said goodnight. Once both children were safely tucked up in bed, Sidney went downstairs, helped himself to a lager from the fridge, sunk down into the sofa and stuck on the TV, as he tried to clear his head. It was not work that was on his mind, however, it was the girl (or woman, he should say, for even though she looked like a childminder, she had corrected him on that front) with the big brown eyes… Jake’s mother. Jake obviously had a complicated home situation and he was curious as to why his father appeared to have never been a part of his life. It can’t have been easy growing up without a father figure, hell, it was hard for his kids not having a mother figure, but at least his siblings were nearby to help. He hoped the woman had some support around her.

Sidney was proud that Henry had befriended Jake and that Henry had felt OK with telling people about his Mum. He was also sad though, because Henry probably had no memories of his mother, for he’d been so little when she had died. This was one of the hardest things about Eliza’s death. Jenny would remember a little more perhaps, but when Sidney would remind them of certain things Eliza used to do, he could tell that Jenny’s memory of it was gone. Did they crave a mother figure? Did they feel that they were missing out by not having a mother around? Did they feel different from other children, like Jake? He didn’t want that for them, but the situation was what it was and looked set to be like that for at least the foreseeable future.

**********

“… So you see Sidney, if we can get the Bank to extend the facility, we can get contractors in place within a couple of months, well, once planning is approved of course… So, what do you think?” Tom said, finishing his speech to Sidney in the office the next morning.

Sidney let out a long sigh. Tom had been dreaming about building a Concert Hall in Sanditon for as long as Sidney could remember. Even though Tom hadn’t inherited the musical gene, he was a strong advocate of The Arts (although he was more of a metal head, than an admirer of Classical Music). There were other venues where bands could perform in Sanditon, but capacity was very limited. Tom wanted to remedy that, by building a venue that could fit 2000 people standing and seating around 1,500 theatre style. It was an ambitious Project, for the venue was to have a balcony and a restaurant, along with all the backstage rooms for performers. Tom had worked closely with the architect to come up with the designs, and with Lady Denham’s investment, they had got as far as the planning stage. However, the construction phase required a substantial amount of money, about two thirds of which had been committed, including a couple of grants. However, there was still a shortfall and the bank was reluctant to extend their credit, as Parker Developments had many Projects on the go.

“Tom, I went to the Bank last month, don’t you remember what they said?”

“Yes I know… but maybe once we’ve got planning permission…”

Sidney rubbed his eyes. “Tom… we are struggling to manage all the projects between us as it is, and our expenses outweigh our income. The Library Project cost us millions and is barely breaking even.”

“It was never meant to make money, Sidney, it is a Community Project.”

“One we are still paying for and will be for at least another five years. I really think we should consider charging our members.”

“Sidney! You cannot charge people. The whole point of a Library, is that you can borrow books for free.”

“I know that, but we do not run a Public Service, we aren’t the Local Authority or a Charity, Tom, we are a Business, a Business which at the moment, is not making enough money,” Sidney stated. Tom looked forlornly back at Sidney, and it softened him a little. “Look, I know a Concert Hall is your dream, Tom, but the Bank made it clear that it is not amenable to extending our credit when our other Projects are still ongoing. If you really want to get the Project moving, either we wait until we start getting more in the way of income, or you’ll have to look for alternative funding. Given how stretched we are at the moment, I would recommend the first option.”

Tom stayed silent for a moment. “Perhaps you are right. I’ll see about hiring another Project Manager.”

“No, Tom, don’t do that! We need to look at the figures, before thinking about taking on another employee,” interrupted Sidney.

Tom huffed at him. “Anyone would think you were against the whole idea of the Concert Hall!”

“You know that’s not true, I am just trying to highlight the fragile nature of our financial situation at the moment. I know this is important to you, but I do not see the harm in holding off, until we are in a better position to proceed.”

Tom frowned. “Is it really that bad, Sidney?”

“It’s not great. We need to get the Longbourne Road units completed and the tenants in and paying rent, then things will look better. The cock-up yesterday with the cement delayed things. God it was a real faff, but I at least managed to get our supplier to waive the fee, given they supplied the wrong mix.”

“That’s good. How long until practical completion, do you think?”

“Couple of months probably.”

Tom nodded, “Right.”

There was a knock on the door and Tom’s assistant popped her head in. “You have a visitor, Mr Parker. Someone sent from Lady Denham?”

“Thank you Martha,” Tom said, and Martha shut the door again.

Sidney raised his eyebrows. “Lady D uses messengers now, does she?”

“She’s not very mobile at the moment. She’s getting a hip replacement in a couple of weeks. I think she has a new companion, so she’s probably sent her,” Tom commented.

“Can’t she just give you a call?”

Tom smiled at his brother... “It’s not her way.”

“Hmm… right, well I’ll let you deal with that one. I’ll be on my way. I want to finish on time, so I can pick the kids up from school today,” Sidney said, as he got up from his chair.

“How is Henry getting on?”

“Well, I think. Making friends, at least.”

“Good, good.”

“See you later,” Sidney said and then left the room, but rather than return to his office, he decided to pop out to the shop around the corner, to pick up some lunch.

Sidney headed out to the small Reception area… and that was when he saw her; the woman who had run into him in the playground, sat in the corner looking at some brochures. His entry into the room caused her to look up at him and her face made a confused expression.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, the words appearing to have come out of her mouth without her thinking, and she blushed after she said them. For some reason, he was rather pleased he had rattled her.

“I work here. What are _you_ doing here?” Sidney replied, his mouth twitching, as he found her question rather amusing, seeing as she didn’t know he was Part Owner of the Business.

The woman sat up straight in her seat and pouted her lips slightly, as if readying herself for battle. “I’m on an errand,” she replied, simply.

Sidney frowned at her, as he stopped a couple of metres away from her. “You are Lady D’s new companion?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied. Sidney shook his head and chuckled. “What is so funny about that?” she said, scowling at him.

“I just don’t understand why she would send a messenger here, when she could just pick up the phone,” Sidney commented.

“Perhaps she prefers doing business in person? Better to look your opponent in the eye,” Charlotte replied, surveying him suspiciously.

“Opponent?”

The woman shrugged. “You know what I mean. People communicate not only through what they say, but through body language; facial expressions, mannerisms… Sometimes you can tell a lot about someone, after even a brief encounter.”

Feeling rather curious, Sidney asked, “So what are your impressions of me so far?” he asked, a little flirtatiously.

He watched the woman carefully, as she thought through her response. She cleared her throat. “I think that you are arrogant and rude… but you have a capacity for kindness,” she replied, seemingly unashamed that at least some of her words may offend him.

Sidney did not expect the woman to be so honest. “You speak very candidly, for someone who has only just met me.”

The woman just stared back at him. “You asked for my observations, so I gave them, and they are hardly baseless, given your overreaction in the playground, to what was clearly an accident!”

Sidney felt his temper rising. “Well, if you had read the School Pack beforehand and didn’t run around like a lunatic, then the ‘accident’ would never have happened.”

The woman stood up from her seat and took a step closer to him, as her eyes narrowed. “You just can’t let it go, can you? I’m sorry to disappoint you, but not all of us are perfect parents and have memorised every word of the bloody Information Pack!” she said, somewhat exasperatedly.

“I never said I was a perfect parent,” Sidney responded, through gritted teeth.

“You didn’t have to, but it is clear that you think yourself superior to me, why else would you assume I was the childminder?” the woman hissed.

“You seem quite young, that’s all.”

“I don’t think age is a factor, as to whether or not you are a good parent!” the woman maintained, clenching her fists by her sides.

“I didn’t make any comment about your parenting skills,” Sidney said, trying to defend himself.

“Perhaps not expressly, but it was implied. Is that why you helped Jake when he hurt himself, because you believed me incapable?”

“What? Of course not?”

“Because I don’t need your help, thank you very much.”

Sidney shook his head in frustration. “Fine, I won’t bother next time!”

“Fine.”

“Fine!” Sidney replied, as they stood looking daggers at each other, their chests heaving from having both lost their tempers.

“Excuse me?” said Martha in a timid voice and Sidney whipped his head round to her. Martha was looking between them with a concerned expression and Sidney suddenly realised she must have heard the entirety of their conversation, for they had both raised their voices.

Martha cleared her throat. “Mr Parker will see you now,” she said, addressing the woman.

The woman’s eyes flicked to Martha, as he watched her attempt to gather herself. "Thank you,” she said, straightening her jacket. She glared at Sidney again, before walking past him.

Sidney felt the air move, as she walked past him and he caught a hint of her scent, a fruity and floral concoction, which for some reason irritated him even more. He needed to get out of this building and hope he didn’t bump into her on his return from the shop…

Charlotte marched to Mr Parker’s Office, still seething from her third encounter with this wretched man, who seemed to make all her insecurities about being a single parent bubble to the surface. She tried to take a few breaths, as the assistant led her to Mr Parker’s Office, opened the door for her and then Charlotte stepped in.

“Ah, you must be Lady Denham’s new assistant,” Mr Parker said, with a smile on his face, as he got up from his seat, walked over and shook Charlotte’s hand.

“Yes, I’m Charlotte.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Charlotte forced a smile, even though she was still feeling flustered. “Lady Denham said you had the Plans for the Concert Hall ready for her.”

“That’s right,” Tom said, as he went into a cupboard and got out some plans and laid them on the table. “We have made some modifications to the original plans, to increase the size of the Atrium, give more space for people to mingle, before they enter the Main Hall.”

Charlotte’s eyes took in every detail and she felt the anger of her encounter with the man start seeping away, to be replaced by curiosity. “Wow. This looks very impressive!” she remarked. “You are going to have a balcony?”

“That’s the plan, so as to increase seating capacity to 1,500,” said Tom. “And this is the Restaurant, where the frontage will be all glass, as it will have a sea view…”

“You are building it by the sea?”

Tom smiled. “Yes, well, at least it will be positioned a sensible distance away of course. Actually, the location has delayed things somewhat. We’ve had to do all sorts of surveys, to ensure the site is viable, but at least planning permission has now been applied for.”

“And the Atrium roof will be glass too?” Charlotte said, looking at architectural illustrations and CGI images.

“Yes, we wanted to give it a feeling of grandeur, as well as ensuring lots of natural light gets into the building.”

“But other than the glass frontage in the restaurant, the exterior of the building will be in keeping with the rest of the town, by using Cornish stone and Welsh slate?” Charlotte remarked.

“Yes… How did you…?”

“It says so on the Plans.” Charlotte replied, smiling.

Tom smiled back. “Very observant of you.”

“It certainly is a very ambitious Project, and one Lady Denham is very enthusiastic about.”

“Lady Denham is a very generous patron. Her influence and investment are fundamental to this project and we are incredibly grateful for her involvement.”

Charlotte smiled, wondering if Mr Parker was showering out the praise for her employer, in case she reported back to her. “I get the impression she receives much enjoyment from getting involved in your projects, Mr Parker. I look forward to seeing how it progresses.”

Tom smiled. He rolled up the plans and illustrations and handed them over to Charlotte to take away with her.

“Thank you, Mr Parker. I expect we will meet again,” Charlotte said.

“Indeed. Thank you for stopping by,” Tom replied, as he walked over and opened the door of his office to her.

“Bye,” Charlotte said.

“Bye,” Tom replied.

Charlotte walked out of the Office, through the Reception area and out into the Car Park. As she opened her car door, she saw the man, who was quickly becoming her nemesis, walking across the Car Park towards the office building. She quickly averted her gaze, very keen not to meet his eye after their altercation and she thought she got away with it very well. Without looking back, Charlotte got into her car and drove out of the Car Park and back towards Sanditon House.

There she was again… the woman who with one look, seemed to be able to torture him. Their interactions were beginning to fall into a similar pattern, much like the bass Ostinato in Bach’s Goldberg Variations or the Fugue in Franck’s Prélude, Fugue and Variations, because he had been unable to prevent himself from falling into another argument with her. The problem was everything about her seemed to irritate him: Her candid words; the way her brows knitted together as her temper rose; the tone of her voice when she was admonishing him; the way she pouted her lips and stuck out her chin in disapproval; and those eyes which seemed to blaze with fire, as she stared at him with pure and utter loathing. God, it was infuriating! Sidney didn’t even know her name, but she riled something in him. And to think he had even begun to feel sorry for her, because of the situation with Jake, Well, he wouldn’t think that again! She was obviously so ridiculously proud and headstrong and stubborn, that she would consider any offer of help as an insult.

Yet, as Sidney was still processing the latest run in, he realised that actually it had been him who had been the one to set the wheels of discord in motion. If the woman was basing her opinions about him on first impressions, wasn’t she actually correct to paint him as rude and arrogant? For that is exactly how he had come across… but she also said she believed him capable of kindness. He’d forgotten about that part because he’d focussed too much on the negatives and then felt compelled to defend himself. Why had he done that? He’d asked for her opinion and she gave it honestly and he had acted like a complete jerk! He didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes again. He was going to move to the Coda, the tail end of this absurd course of interaction between them and conclude matters once and for all. How he did that though, he did not know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of terms
> 
> Da Capo al Coda: Repeat from beginning to an indicated place and then play the tail part (the “Coda"). It directs the musician to go back and repeat the music from the beginning ("Capo"), and to continue playing until one reaches the first coda symbol. Upon reaching the first coda symbol, skip to the second coda symbol and continue playing until the end. The portion of the piece from the second coda to the end is often referred to as the "coda" of the piece, or quite literally as "the tail". This may also be instructed by simply using the words al Coda after which the musician is to skip to the written word Coda.
> 
> Fugue: in music, a compositional procedure characterised by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint). The term fugue may also be used to describe a work or part of a work.
> 
> Ostinato: (Italian: “obstinate”, ) plural Ostinatos, or Ostinati, in music, short melodic phrase repeated throughout a composition, sometimes slightly varied or transposed to a different pitch. A rhythmic ostinato is a short, constantly repeated rhythmic pattern.
> 
> Explanation of repeats and codes: https://stepbystepmusic.com/repeats_and_codas.html
> 
> Explantation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations can be found here: https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/music/goldberg-variations/. The entire work has also been arranged orchestrally by the Arundo Quartet on YouTube and Spotify https://youtu.be/0CkJ0NFjpug


	6. The Virtuoso

The drop-offs with Jake were not getting any easier as the week progressed. He still cried each time he was led into the classroom and Charlotte was exhausted from all the emotion. However, she tried to focus on the positives and was thankful that Jake was at least usually smiling at pick-up; also, Mr Stringer had not mentioned any further incidents where Jake’s lack of Father had been brought into conversation. Another positive was that Charlotte and the Mystery Man had seemed to come to some sort of silent agreement not to interact with each other on any level. Charlotte would purposefully stand one side of the playground, and he the other and she would spend the time trying to avoid his gaze (although somehow she found herself glancing in his direction every so often). She’d not seen his wife again. Perhaps she only did pick up on Tuesdays and had a high powered job somewhere? Charlotte wished she wasn’t curious about it, but she was. Plus, it was hard not to think about the man and his family, when all Jake would talk about was Henry.

Being Lady Denham’s Companion for the last few days had been a rather eye-opening experience too. If Charlotte thought that her day was mainly to consist of drinking tea, she was very much mistaken. Even though she was ageing and in poor health, Lady Denham showed no signs of slowing down. Whilst Lady Denham had professed an inherent dislike and mistrust in technology, she seemed to receive hundreds of emails, many of which demanded a response! Furthermore, the Charities and Community Groups she was involved with, actually took up a lot of her time, and Charlotte had found herself accompanying her to two meetings that week, one of which was Mrs Griffiths’ WI Group, which met on a Thursday afternoon in the Church Hall. During the hour and a half long meeting, Charlotte had been approached by nearly every member of the WI asking her to join, and she had to explain time and time again that she was only here to accompany Lady Denham and would not be joining herself, much to their dismay. Charlotte had to admit, however, that they were a lovely bunch of ladies, and the Victoria Sponge Cake that one of them had baked was exceptional!

It was now Friday afternoon, and there were no meetings to go to today. Instead, Charlotte had spent the morning helping Lady Denham with planning a dinner party she was throwing in a few weeks’ time, for all the Charities and Groups she was a Patron of, along with a few of her Business Associates. It was going to be quite the event and one which Lady Denham had requested Charlotte to attend. Lady Denham insisted that the invitations were to be written by hand and there were over 30 people invited! By the time Charlotte had written them all (with a fountain pen and in her neatest handwriting), her hand ached. Then, Lady Denham had commanded Charlotte to post them all in the Post Box just outside the gates of the property, straight away, even though it was pouring with rain and the collection time was not for at least another couple of hours! Charlotte was pretty damp for the rest of the day after that, and she found herself wishing the afternoon away, eager for the start of the weekend (not least because she wanted to change into some dry clothes). She was sitting down, having tea with Lady Denham in the drawing room and Lady Denham was still talking about arrangements for the Dinner Party.

“Yes, I think we’ll have pre-dinner drinks in here first. Perhaps Mr Parker will play the piano for us while we do so. Schumann’s Kinderszenen would be a good fit,” Lady Denham replied.

“Mr Parker plays the piano?” Charlotte clarified.

“Yes of course! He is the Musical Director of the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra… I think he even played at the Royal Albert Hall once, in front of Royalty. He is incredibly talented,” Lady Denham responded.

“Wow, that is impressive! He didn’t strike me as a Pianist when I met him,” Charlotte mused.

“Not Mr Tom Parker! His brother, Mr Sidney Parker! Mr Tom Parker doesn’t know his crotchets from his semibreves!”

Charlotte smiled at Lady Denham’s words. She really was rather witty and she often made her giggle. “Well, if Mr Sidney Parker played at the Royal Albert Hall, then he must be exceptional. I am looking forward to hearing him play, especially on your beautiful grand piano.”

“Can you play at all?” Lady Denham asked.

“Yes, but it is not my first instrument,” Charlotte replied.

“What is your first instrument?”

Charlotte smiled. “I am a violinist.”

“Are you now? And to what standard?”

“Well… I’ve got my Grade 8 actually.”

Lady Denham’s eyes widened and then she smirked at her. “Ha! So it’s all coming out now, Miss Heywood. Do you still play?”

“Yes, at least, I play at home, where my only audience is my son, who does not fully appreciate the genre of my repertoire,” Charlotte admitted.

“Well, it’s good that you have kept it going. So many people give up after school… You know, I have a violin in one of the spare bedrooms. We should get it out and you can play me a tune.”

“Oh, no need for that… I can always bring my own violin another time, to play you something.”

Lady Denham presently rang the bell. “Nonsense, I want to hear you. You should know by now that I am not a patient person!”

Charlotte sighed in resignation and five minutes later, the violin was retrieved from a bedroom and brought to them by Mrs Miller. Charlotte carefully got it out. It was a truly beautiful instrument and probably an antique. 

“This belonged to my Father. He used to play us tunes at Christmas when we were children. It’s not been played for donkey's years, but I had it restored a couple of years ago, so all the strings and pegs are new, as is the bow.”

“It is a beautiful instrument, Ma’am. Are you sure you are happy for me to play it?”

“Of course. No-one else can! It might as well get some airtime!”

Charlotte sat down at the piano and tuned the violin, rosined the bow and then positioned the violin on her shoulder. Lady Denham and Mrs Miller sat in armchairs, eagerly anticipating her performance. It had been over five years since Charlotte had played to an audience, but she was already getting that tingling feeling before performing, for it was her passion. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and began to play: Méditation from Thaïs by Massenet. 

**[NOTE: You can listen to this piece of music here: https://youtu.be/7QtGOWemQhY]**

The atmosphere in the room shifted as soon as Charlotte started playing, as her audience stared at her in awe, for she played with such expression, and her vibrato and dynamics were excellent. As she had her eyes closed for the majority of the time, Charlotte couldn’t see how captivated her audience were. Instead, she simply lost herself in the music, for this was one of her favourite pieces to play, but more than that, she was enjoying playing this particular instrument, for it had a beautifully deep and rich tone which suited the acoustics of the room to perfection.

The room fell silent once Charlotte had concluded the piece, and suddenly nervous, she opened her eyes fully, to look at Lady Denham and Mrs Miller, the latter of which started clapping when Charlotte looked at her, but Lady Denham did not. Instead she was giving her a rather odd expression, almost as if she had a plan in motion…

“Miss Heywood, that was charming. What a talent you have!” Mrs Miller chimed.

“Thank you. This truly is a magnificent instrument, Lady Denham and a delight to play.” Charlotte replied, but Lady Denham remained silent for a moment, as she surveyed her more closely.

Finally, Lady Denham opened her mouth to say something. “Well Miss Heywood, you are full of surprises! Why have you been hiding your talent away?”

Charlotte shifted on her feet. “It’s not so much that I’ve hidden it away, it’s just since I had Jake, any opportunities to perform are somewhat limited.”

“Poppycock! That is just an excuse. I think it’s about time you came out of the shadows and back into the limelight. I insist you play at the Dinner Party. You and Mr Parker would make a splendid duet. Oh, and you simply must audition for the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra.”

“What? No, I couldn’t!”

“Of course you can! Mr Parker would be a fool if he didn’t offer you a place. I have his business card somewhere, maybe in my bureau, Mrs Miller?”

Mrs Miller scampered away to fetch the business card.

“Lady Denham, I am touched by the compliment, but I cannot commit to something like that right now.”

“Nonsense! They only practice once a week and perform once or twice a term. Surely you can get a babysitter? Are there not such services around?”

“I’d rather not leave Jake with a stranger,” Charlotte replied.

“Surely there is someone who can look after him regularly? You’ve managed to find babysitters for your evenings out with me,” said Lady Denham.

It was true. Charlotte had found a babysitter for such things, but it was Georgiana, and whilst she didn’t mind helping out for the odd evening here and there, to ask her to do so regularly when she had her own kids to look after, felt like a bit much.

“My daughter, Hannah, does some babysitting, Miss Heywood,” Mrs Miller said, as she handed over Mr Parker’s card to her. “She’s 17, DBS checked and very good with kids. She’s planning on becoming a teacher, you see. She can pop round and meet Jake first if you like? Then you can see how they get on?”

Charlotte was rather taken aback by Mrs Miller’s offer.

“Well there you have it Miss Heywood, we’ve solved the babysitting dilemma for you. Now there really is no excuse not to at least audition,” Lady Denham said smugly.

Charlotte looked between the two ladies. They appeared to have thought of everything between them and she felt she had little choice. “Very well. I will contact Mr Parker and see if he will let me audition.”

“If he doesn’t, then come to me. I am sure I can persuade him to reconsider,” Lady Denham smirked.

***********

Sidney was glad it was Friday. It had been one hell of a week, what with the cock-ups at work and the run-ins with that girl/woman. Plus, at the Orchestra Practice yesterday evening, five of the 67 members had called in sick, which he was really annoyed about. He knew it wasn’t their fault they were sick, but it seemed very suspicious that there would be five members ill on the same day and he hated it when people missed practice. In fact, one of the members had a rather shocking attendance record and he was going to have to broach that topic with him when he next saw him. The practice hadn’t gone horribly, but Sidney knew they could do better. He’d spent at least fifteen minutes of the practice with the Strings section, trying to perfect a part to one of the pieces, but they were not getting it right. It was very frustrating and he very nearly lost it. He may have to re-think including the piece at all in the Concerts they had lined up. The practices were more important than ever, for they (well, 42 of the members, for not everyone could commit), were due to go on tour during October half-term, to Berlin for five days. The decision to go on tour had been a difficult one for Sidney to make, for it would be the longest he had ever been away from his kids since Eliza had died, but he felt it was the right time. They were going to stay with Mary and Tom while he was away… He really did owe his family everything!

Still, there was one good thing about the week, and that was that Henry was settling in well at school… even if he did keep nagging Sidney about a playdate with Jake! The trouble was, whenever Sidney saw Jake’s Mum at school, it was abundantly clear she was trying to avoid him, and in all honesty, he was trying to avoid her too, because he had no idea how to approach her after their arguments. But Henry was getting impatient with Sidney’s excuses and he knew that he would have to talk to her today at pick-up, or face his son’s wrath over the weekend. He had no plan on how he was going to do this. He had rehearsed a few different scenarios in his head, but had decided that was a pointless exercise. Instead, he was just going to play it by ear and see what happened. If they got into another argument, then so be it.

And so, when pick-up time came that Friday afternoon, Sidney waited in his usual spot in the playground for the woman to appear, and appear she did and she seemed rather… distracted, at least more so than usual, for she didn’t seem to engage much with her mum friend, and didn’t even look Sidney’s way (not that this was unusual, because he knew she was trying to avoid him). Mr Stringer came out of the classroom, and sure enough, there were Henry and Jake, thick as thieves walking out together and talking very animatedly. Henry saw him and gave him a wave and a smile which Sidney reciprocated. Henry was let out first, no doubt because Mr Stringer wanted to talk to the woman, for Jake was still quite upset at drop offs.

“Daddy!” Henry cried, giving Sidney a big hug.

“Hello Champ. Had a good day?” he asked.

“Yes… Daddy… Jake has a real fossil at home, he told me. Please can I go to his house to see it?” Henry asked, full of excitement.

Sidney sighed. “We can’t just invite ourselves round to Jake’s house, Henry. We need to wait for an invitation,” Sidney said. Henry’s face fell. “But perhaps we can invite Jake to our house and he can bring the fossil with him?” Sidney suggested.

Henry’s face lit up again. “Yes! Let’s invite him now!” he said, tugging on Sidney’s sleeve.

“OK, but let’s just wait until Mr Stringer’s had a word with Jake’s Mum first, then I’ll talk to her,” Sidney replied.

They waited a couple of minutes, as Mr Stringer talked to Jake’s Mum; Henry practically bouncing from the anticipation of asking his best friend on a playdate. Once Mr Stringer had left to speak to another parent, Sidney hesitantly made his way over…

“Thank you Mr Stringer. Have a good weekend,” Charlotte said, grateful that Jake had had a good day on the whole, despite the tears at drop-off.

“You too,” he replied, with a kind smile.

Mr Stringer walked off and Charlotte turned to her son. “Fancy an ice cream on the way home?” she asked him.

“Yes please, Mummy!” Jake replied enthusiastically.

“Come on, then.” Charlotte said smiling, but as she was leading him away, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Charlotte turned her head, to see her nemesis walking towards her with an unreadable expression on his face. Instantly, she tensed up and her heart started hammering, as she fully expected a confrontation. She took a deep breath, as she readied herself for whatever he was about to say to her and reminded herself not to be rude in front of the children.

“Hi,” the man said simply, obviously not enamoured by the fact he had come to talk to her.

“Hello,” she replied, rather coldly.

“Please can Jake come round for a playdate?” his son Henry asked.

“Can I Mummy? Please!” Jake cut in.

Charlotte turned her attention away from the man and towards the boys. God, a playdate really was the last thing she wanted to agree to right now, if it meant having to spend more time in this man’s presence! However, she couldn’t really say no, when the children were so eager. “Thank you for the invitation, Henry. It is very kind of you. I’m sure that will be fine.”

“Yay!” the boys said.

“Can he come round now?” Henry asked Charlotte. 

Charlotte felt her stomach drop, there was no way in hell it was going to be now! She needed to prepare herself mentally first. Thankfully the man responded.

“Not tonight, Henry. It’s Friday, so swimming lessons,” the man said.

“Oh…” Henry moaned.

“How about after school sometime next week?” the man asked and there was an edge of reluctance in his voice. Charlotte met his gaze and she felt her stomach drop again. 

“Er… Right…” Charlotte replied, feeling rather put on the spot and trying to think of an excuse, but she couldn’t think of one. The problem was that as she didn’t know this man very well, she felt she would have to tag along to any playdate, and it really was the last thing she wanted to do. Thankfully, she thought of something which may make things easier. “How about we go to the beach after school? Perhaps on Tuesday?” Charlotte replied, specifically picking Tuesday, in the hope the man’s wife may be doing pick-up that day. The beach would also be a mutual location, in the event she was stuck with the man.

“Actually, Tuesdays are no good, as my daughter has ballet after school. Monday?”

“Jake is starting swimming lessons on Monday,” Charlotte said.

The man sighed impatiently and put his hand on his hip. “Thursday?”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him a little and she was sure his eyes went darker as she did so, as if his temper too was rising. “Yes, Thursday should be fine,” she said rather tersely.

“OK then, We got there in the end,” he said, and Charlotte rolled her eyes at him, for she did not appreciate the little dig at her. “Well… have a good weekend. Come on Henry, let’s get Jenny.”

“Bye Henry!” Jake called.

“Bye Jake!” Henry called back.

The man and Henry left and Charlotte was feeling rather flushed. How was it that even organising a playdate with this man could unsettle her?

“Who was that?” Georgiana asked, as she walked up to her with Molly and Sienna in the buggy.

“Henry’s Dad,” Charlotte responded, her eyes still on his back, as he walked off.

“What did he want?”

“Just organising a playdate,” said Charlotte.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Charlotte forced a smile. “Yes,” she replied, as she tore her eyes off the man and they made their way to the ice cream van.

Well, he’d done it! Sidney had organised a playdate for his son and Jake next week and for the most part he had been civil with Jake’s Mum… In fact, he was actually thankful the woman had suggested the beach as the playdate location, as no doubt she would want to accompany her son and it would probably have been awkward if they were stuck in his house together. A beach provided a mutual location and hopefully they wouldn’t have to talk much. Now he could relax, well, at least until Thursday’s playdate came around of course…

**********

After Charlotte had put Jake down to bed, she poured herself a glass of wine and sank into the brown suede sofa. Lots of thoughts were swimming in her head. She really was not looking forward to Thursday’s playdate with Henry’s Dad, but she did at least have some time to mentally prepare herself for it. What was consuming her thoughts more, however, was Lady Denham’s insistence that she audition for the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra. It had been playing on her mind ever since Lady Denham had suggested it. Absentmindedly, Charlotte fiddled with Mr Parker’s business card. She couldn’t deny that performing to an audience who appreciated her music (unlike her son) this afternoon, was a wonderful experience and she had missed it terribly. She’d also missed being able to play with other like-minded musicians. There was something magical about playing a piece with 90 other talented musicians. Lady Denham was right, Charlotte had been making excuses for not performing, ever since she fell pregnant with Jake and enough was enough. Performing was what she loved, and she needed something for her. Now Jake was older, it seemed like the right time to take the step and start doing it again.

Charlotte got out her phone. Whilst she could just call Mr Parker, that probably wouldn’t be fair on a Friday night, and so instead, she decided to compose an email, requesting an audition. It took her quite a while to write it, for it had been sometime since she had applied for an audition. Also, she was contacting him out of the blue, so she felt she needed to explain herself. After at least an hour(!), she wrote the following:

To: s.parker@sso.com

From: c.heywood@email.com

Subject: Audition Enquiry

Dear Mr Parker

My apologies for contacting you out of the blue, but I was given your business card by Lady Denham, who recommended that I contact you, to explore the possibility of having an audition to join the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra. I have recently moved to Sanditon and I am eager to get involved.

I am a Violinist with Grade 8 (Distinction), along with the DipARSM Performance Diploma (Distinction). I also spent two years at the Royal Academy for Music in London, but unfortunately due to personal circumstances, I did not complete the course.

I have played in several orchestras in the past, most notably the Chelsea Philharmonic Orchestra, where I was the Concertmaster for six months. 

I appreciate that you have not advertised that you are seeking new members, but I hope that you will consider my request. If you need to see copies of any of my certificates, I can bring these along to an audition.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Charlotte Heywood

Charlotte took a deep breath and hit the Send button… and then took several gulps of wine. She really hoped Mr Parker would not ask too many questions about why she left Music College and accept the personal circumstances explanation, at least for now, for she was sure she would have to tell him in person. Charlotte wasn’t expecting a response anytime soon, so it came as somewhat of a surprise that only an hour later she got a reply…

To: c.heywood@email.com

From: s.parker@sso.com

Subject: Re: Audition Enquiry

Dear Charlotte

Thank you for your email.

I would be happy to hear you audition. Can you make this coming Wednesday at 1pm at the Library? I will be in between Piano Lessons in the Blue Room, so please arrive on time. If you are unsure where to go, ask at Reception.

Please prepare one or two pieces to play unaccompanied. I will also give you a piece to sight read. There is no need to bring copies of any certificates.

Kind regards

Sidney Parker

Charlotte’s heart started racing and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She had secured an audition and she was excited! She fired off a quick reply to Mr Parker, confirming that the time was fine (she couldn’t see how Lady Denham could complain, given it was her idea) and then sank back into the sofa and spent the rest of her evening thinking about what pieces she would play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms & Notes
> 
> Acoustics: the way in which the structure of a building or room affects the qualities of musical or spoken sound.
> 
> Genre: Type of music, i.e. classical, pop etc.
> 
> Vibrato: A repeated slight shaking in a musical note, either when played on an instrument or sung, that gives a fuller sound to the note:
> 
> WI: Women’s Institute
> 
> What is Rosin? https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/violin/what-is-rosin-why-violinists-need-it/
> 
> Types of Musical Notes: https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/types-of-musical-notes/
> 
> History of Notation: https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/how-music-notation-began/
> 
> Massenet: https://www.classicfm.com/composers/massenet/music/jules-massenet-thais/


	7. Perfect Harmony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This Chapter once again touches on bereavement and loss.

Now that Henry had completed his first week at school, life was falling into its regular pattern for Sidney Parker. This meant working for Parker Developments on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Piano lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays, which had started up again with the start of term. It also meant that he wasn’t able to do school pick-ups as often, and instead, Mary would take the kids back to Trafalgar House, particularly on the days when he was doing Piano Lessons. Diana and Arthur, his other siblings, would also help out, alternating babysitting on Thursday nights, so Sidney could go to orchestra rehearsals.

It was now Wednesday and Sidney was doing his Piano Lessons at the Library. However, he was having to forgo his usual lunch break at 1pm, to listen to someone audition for his orchestra. The odd emails and phone calls did sometimes come his way, with people requesting an audition, and most of the time he felt prevailed upon to allow it (although 99% of the time, the person auditioning was not good enough). This request felt a bit different though, not least because Charlotte Heywood, whoever she was, seemed to have very impressive credentials. More than that, he felt somewhat compelled to listen to her perform, as she was an acquaintance of Lady Denham, the Patron of his Orchestra, so he could hardly refuse her. However, he had not allowed himself to get too intrigued about her, because the last time he had been excited about auditioning someone, they had proved terrible and he did not want to be disappointed again. He therefore kept his expectations low, but at the same time hoped that the audition would not prove a waste of his time.

Charlotte arrived early for her audition. She could hear that there was still a Piano lesson going on, so she sat on a chair and waited outside the door. While she waited, she got out her Violin and started to rosin the bow and tune it as quietly as she could, for she did not want to disturb the lesson going on behind her. About ten minutes later, the Piano pupil came out and closed the door behind him, without giving Charlotte a second glance. She wondered if she should knock or wait for Mr Parker to open the door and call for her. However, as he wouldn’t know she was here, she decided on the former.

She stood up and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” came a deep voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte opened the door and entered the room, but once her eyes caught sight of the man in front of her, she froze in shock and the blood drained out of her face. The man before her had a very similar expression.

“You’re Sidney Parker?” Charlotte stammered.

Sidney nodded. “And you must be Charlotte Heywood,” he replied, equally as flummoxed, for the very last person he was expecting to see was her.

All Charlotte could do was nod, as suddenly she was filled with the urge to run. “This is a mistake. I should go,” she said, about to turn around.

“No wait! Don’t go. I mean…” Sidney sighed; the animosity between them was exhausting, even though they’d only had a handful of encounters, but she had reached out to him for an audition and he felt he owed it to her to hear her out. He looked at Charlotte who seemed very dejected. Her beautiful brown eyes, which told him more than any words could, were full of disappointment. “You’re here now, you may as well do the audition,” Sidney said.

Charlotte was feeling really uncomfortable. Of all the people Sidney Parker could have been, it had to be him! How she wished she had googled him first, before sending off that wretched email. She felt like a prize idiot. “I don’t see the point of being here, when you won’t be able to judge my performance impartially.”

Charlotte’s words stung, even if her statement was not wholly without merit, given their recent, albeit brief, history. “You think I would be that unprofessional?” Sidney asked.

“I’m not sure, I hardly know you, but what I do know is that you clearly do not like me, although why running accidentally into you, or going the wrong way was quite so offensive to you, I have no idea!” Charlotte replied.

“It’s not that it’s…” Sidney began, but then stopped himself. He ran his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, nor was he particularly offended by the collision, but he had been extra sensitive that day, because it was one where he was especially missing his wife and he had taken it out on her. However, once he had started on the course of laconic interaction between them, he had found himself unable to break out of it…. But this was neither here nor there when it came to right now. He wanted to reassure her that he wouldn’t let that prejudice his decision.

“Look, if you don’t want to audition, then fine, but contrary to what you may think, I admit people to this Orchestra based on their talent, commitment and dedication, not about how I feel about them personally. For what it’s worth, I promise not to let our… our previous disagreements cloud my judgment of your performance,” he said.

Charlotte paused for a moment, chewing on her lip as she considered his words. “You… you promise?” she asked.

“Yes. I promise,” Sidney confirmed.

Charlotte took a deep breath, and took a step inside and shut the door behind her. They both stared at each other from opposite ends of the room, the tension between them palpable.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “What would you like me to do first?”

Sidney tore his eyes away from hers. “Let’s get the sight-reading out the way,” He said, as he pointed to a music stand with music on it and thinking the quicker they could plough through all of this, the better.

“Very well,” Charlotte said, as she walked slowly up to it and looked down at the music to see what it was. The composer was ’S.Parker.’ “You wrote this?” she asked.

“Yes. It’s sight-reading, I can’t use pieces that are familiar, as that would defeat the purpose of the exercise,” Sidney explained, with a hint of sarcasm and then grimaced. Why did the words always come out wrong with her?

Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and tried not to let him get to her. She scanned the music to gauge the key, time signature, tempo and all other instructions.

“Do you need a moment, or are you ready?” Sidney asked, again cursing himself for sounding impatient. He really needed to get a grip.

“I’m ready,” she replied, as she settled the violin on her shoulder and began to play the piece.

Sidney watched as well as listened to Charlotte, as she played his sight-reading piece. He’d written it years ago and it was nothing special, but it did the job when it came to assessing sight reading ability. Charlotte’s brows were furrowed in concentration and her eyes moved along with the music as she read it. She stood tall and elegant, as if in front of an audience, and even though she hadn’t seen the piece before, she still played it with good intonation and expression. In fact, she played it pretty much perfectly and Sidney was surprisingly impressed, although of course, he shouldn’t have been, given Charlotte’s credentials. Once Charlotte had finished the piece, she looked over to him and he swallowed uncomfortably.

“Thank you,” Sidney said, for he was not about to shower praise on her, this was an audition after all. “Now what piece have you prepared to play?”

“Chaconne, from Partita No 2 by Bach, or at least, a part of it,” Charlotte replied.

“OK. Did you want to grab the music?”

“I don’t need the music,” Charlotte replied.

“Alright…” Sidney said, intrigued as he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the piano. “When you’re ready then.”

Sidney had heard a few violinists attempt to play this piece before. It was a challenging and complex piece and one which the said few had tried and failed to pull off in his presence. He was curious as to how Charlotte would play it.

Charlotte tried to ignore Sidney’s body language, because it was as though he were trying to say ‘Impress Me’. She positioned the Violin on her shoulder again, took a deep breath, closed her eyes so she could blot him out and started to play.

 **[NOTE: You can listen to this piece here:** <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkfsGCIiHb4> **]**

The first D minor chord rang out sharp and fierce, cutting through the air like a knife. It was quickly followed by the next one, equally as piercing, and the next and Sidney knew that he was about to witness something quite magical. Charlotte played the notes with such feeling and confidence and Sidney found himself getting lost in the music. Technically, she was excellent, but more than that, you could tell Charlotte understood and was able to communicate what the composer was trying to say. Bach had supposedly written this composition after his wife had died and never had this particularly struck Sidney before, but it did now, because when Charlotte played it, it felt real and raw and it moved him… Somehow, the music transported him back there, to Eliza’s bedside as he cradled her in his arms and it hurt… it hurt like hell and this needed to stop right now…

“OK, let’s stop there,” Sidney interrupted, only after a couple of minutes, his hands shaking slightly, from the shock of the unexpected resurfacing of the memories he tried to keep buried.

Charlotte stopped at once. “But I’m only halfway through,” she protested.

“I think I’ve heard enough, thanks,” he said.

Charlotte’s eyes widened for she felt rather offended. “So that’s it then? You’ve barely given me a chance to prove myself!”

“I’ve heard more than enough to form an opinion,” Sidney replied rather curtly.

Charlotte suddenly saw red and she shook her head in disbelief. “God, you promised you would not be biased!”

“Charlotte…”

“No! I prepared a lot for this. If you profess to be impartial, then prove it to me by hearing me out… Please,” Charlotte said, her voice raised up, until the point she said Please.

Sidney stared at Charlotte, still feeling a little overwhelmed by what had just happened, but also feeling completely drawn in by her eyes and in particular the way they had flashed when she was angry, which was rather alluring. But now, she was looking at him with pleading eyes and they showed the vulnerability that was masked by her stubbornness and seemed to speak into his very soul. How could he deny her anything when she looked at him like that?

Sidney sighed in defeat. “Fine. You may play another piece.”

Charlotte’s body quivered with relief at his words. “Thank you,” she said, as she took up her position again. She hadn’t planned on playing an alternative piece, but one suddenly came to mind, which would be appropriate for this situation and also helped to convey the emotions she was currently feeling. She hoped she remembered all the notes…

**[NOTE: You can listen to this piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcL0IsklM3M.]**

Sidney gazed at Charlotte as she prepared to play again. She looked as though she were readying herself to do battle with him and all his muscles seemed to tighten in response, not least because he was a little concerned that the next piece may have the same effect on him as the last. However, thankfully this was a very different piece of music, for Charlotte had only gone and picked Paganini’s Caprice No. 24! No-one had ever attempted to play this piece in front of Sidney before, at least not without the music, for it was notoriously one of the most difficult compositions ever written for Violin. Charlotte just went for it and she made it look so easy. Her fingers were moving fast up and down the neck of the Violin, as she hit every note perfectly. Just like with her first piece, Charlotte put so much feeling into her performance and it was truly mesmerising. Sidney couldn’t take his eyes off her and goosebumps were starting to appear up his arms. There was no doubt about it, Charlotte was one of the greatest musicians he had ever heard… and that gave him an idea…

When Charlotte finished the performance piece, she didn’t dare look up for a moment, for all the feeling she put into playing it left her breathless. When she had caught her breath and was finally ready to face Sidney, she slowly lifted her eyes to him. He had his arms crossed and was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She didn’t think she had ever felt so nervous in her whole life.

“You are able to play Paganini from memory?” he asked quietly.

Sidney’s question caught her off-guard and she had to kick her brain into gear to reply. “I played it to death for my Diploma, so it’s difficult to forget,” she admitted shyly.

“It was… it was beautifully played,” Sidney said, but the words were difficult to get out.

Charlotte was not expecting a compliment at all. She felt her cheeks burn. “Thank you.”

“Would you mind… I mean… can you just humour me for a moment and play something else? If you’ve got time, that is?” Sidney asked, seemingly nervous himself.

“OK,” Charlotte replied, feeling very unsure and confused.

Sidney went into his bag and took out some sheet music. He brought it over to the piano, where he sat down and took out a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on.

He turned his face towards Charlotte and asked, “Are you OK to look over my shoulder and play?”

“Sure,” she responded, wondering if Sidney had just transformed from Superman (or perhaps it should be Batman given his dark moods?) back into Clark Kent, for the glasses rather suited him.

Charlotte walked over to the Piano and her eyes scanned the music. “Another one of your compositions?” she asked.

“Yes. Something I wrote a while ago, but I want to hear you play it.”

“Why?” Charlotte asked.

Sidney smiled at her question. “You’ll see.”

Charlotte didn’t really know what to make of what was happening, but she got ready to play.

“Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4…” Sidney said, counting them in.

They both played Sidney’s composition together. It was a solo piece with a piano accompaniment. It was stunningly beautiful, with a sweet evocative melody, which was led by the solo instrument (in this case, the violin), but the melody was also interwoven into the piano accompaniment too, like an echo. It was like the instruments were having a conversation with each other, or even dancing which when brought together, sounded like they were in perfect harmony… Which was in direct contrast to the conversations Sidney and Charlotte had shared and the irony was not wasted on Charlotte. Still, it was the first time that she actually felt like they were in sync with one another, as opposed to re-enacting Clash of the Titans.

The Movement came to an end. They both stopped playing and nervously looked at one another.

“This is a stunning piece, Sidney. The way the piano and solo weave together and echo the melody between each other, it’s like… like a dance, you know, backwards and forwards… I can even imagine twirls and lifts in there, like this bit here, with the trills and grace notes,” Charlotte said, as she pointed to the spot over Sidney’s shoulder, bringing her close to him, so that he caught a waft of her floral/fruity perfume. “It’s just… well it’s beautiful,” Charlotte said, the hairs on her arms standing on end, because the piece had given her chills.

Sidney smiled, somewhat relieved that the tension seemed to have lifted in the room, after having played together. “Thank you. I originally wrote it for Flute, but you’ve convinced me it works for the Violin better. You are an exceptional musician, Charlotte.”

Charlotte was once again taken aback by his compliment and she took a few paces back from him, wondering if an insult was going to follow. “Can I assume, as you have actually given me a compliment, that I have a place in your Orchestra?”

Sidney chuckled. “Yes, you can have a place, although I’m going to have to put you on Second Violin, I’m afraid.”

“That’s OK. It’s been so long since I’ve been part of an Orchestra, so I assumed that would be the case,” Charlotte responded.

Curious, Sidney asked. “Why has it been so long? You said that personal circumstances meant you didn’t finish your degree?”

“Oh… well… I had Jake of course,” Charlotte replied, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions, which thankfully he didn’t, even if he seemed to be studying her intently. “So… when and where do you practice?” she said, eager to move the topic for conversation along.

“Thursday evenings at 7.30pm in St Peter’s School Hall.”

“OK. I’m going to struggle to go tomorrow, as I don’t think I’ll be able to get a babysitter at such late notice.”

“Of course, that’s not a problem. Oh… and we are also going on tour during the October half-term,” said Sidney.

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Where?”

“Berlin.”

“Oh I’ve always wanted to go there!”

“There’s still time to book, if you want to join us. I’ll understand if practically it will be a bit tricky childcare wise,” said Sidney

“I’ll have a think about it. My parents may be able to help.”

“OK, Well get back to me next week then.”

“I will, thanks,” Charlotte replied.

There was a knock at the door.

“That will be my next pupil.”

“Right. I’ll be off then. Thanks for… for hearing me out and letting me join,” Charlotte said rather meekly.

“No worries,” Sidney said, but as Charlotte walked away he called out. “For the record, I would have let you in after playing Chaconne anyway.” Charlotte swung round to face him, as her heart started pounding. “But I’m glad I got to hear you play Caprice 24,” he added, with a smug look on his face.

Charlotte just stared at him, not sure what to say, feeling really stupid and embarrassed, her face the colour of a beetroot.

Sensing he had rendered her speechless, Sidney smirked and said. “I’ll email all the details about the tour.”

Charlotte just nodded, and then left the room. As she shut the door behind her, she whispered “Shit!”.

“That bad huh?” said the voice of Sidney’s next Piano pupil, a middle-aged woman. “He is rather curt and works you hard, but you can’t deny his brilliance!”

Charlotte forced a smile. “No… I have to agree with you there,” she replied and then went on her way.

*************

Sidney couldn’t stop thinking about Charlotte’s Audition and he found it difficult to concentrate for the rest of the day, as he continued his Piano Lessons right up until the early evening.When he had finished working, he collected the kids from Trafalgar House and fixed them dinner. Not long after, it was bedtime.

As Sidney was putting Henry to bed, Henry said. “Daddy?”

“Yes…”

“We talked about families today. I told them about Mummy,” Henry said.

Sidney felt his heart break at Henry’s words. The school had emailed parents to tell them what they were doing in PSHE, but that still didn’t prepare him for Henry wanting to talk about it. “What did you tell them?” he asked.

“I told them she died when I was a baby, so I don’t have a Mummy anymore, but then I said I want a new Mummy.”

Sidney was rather taken aback by Henry’s statement. “You… you want a new Mummy?”

“Yes. And Jenny does too,” Henry said, very matter of factly.

“Why do you want a new Mummy?” Sidney asked him.

Henry shrugged. “Because a new Mummy would make you happy.”

Sidney found his eyes pricking with tears. “Do you think Daddy is sad?”

Henry looked up at him. “Sometimes. And Mason said that his Daddy is happy, because he has a Mummy. So I think a new Mummy will make you happy.”

Sidney smiled at his son and drew him into his arms. “Aww Buddy. Daddy is sad sometimes, but that is because he misses Mummy and that’s OK, because I loved Mummy very much. But I also love you and Jenny and you make me happy.”

“But… but are we going to get a new Mummy?”

“Not at the moment.”

“So… maybe later?”

Sidney chuckled. “Right now, I’m happy with just you, me and Jenny,” he said, and Henry smiled back at him.

“Daddy? Is it my playdate with Jake tomorrow?”

 _F***_! thought Sidney. He’d completely forgotten about that, and for some reason the thought made his stomach flip. “Yes,” Sidney answered.

“Yay!” Henry said excitedly and it made Sidney smile.

“Jake’s a good friend of yours, huh Buddy?”

“Yes, he’s the best!” Henry confirmed.

“Then I’m sure we’ll have a great time at the beach tomorrow. Now, enough talking, time for sleep.”

Sidney tucked Henry up in bed and then went to see Jenny. He read her a story and said Goodnight to her too. Even though his discussion with Henry had given him rather a lot of food for thought, there was something else he needed to do. Sidney retrieved the composition he and Charlotte had played from out of his bag and sat down at the Electric Piano in the Living Room. He stuck on his headphones (so as not to wake the kids), along with his glasses and then he played it again, but this time on his own. As he played, he imagined Charlotte playing the melody on her Violin. It had been a wonderful experience to play with such an accomplished musician. Granted, all of the members of his orchestra were talented, but Charlotte… Charlotte seemed to shine above them. There was something about the way she played Caprice No.24 that had suddenly given him the idea of getting her to play along with this piece, and he was so glad that he had, because now he understood why the composition had never seemed to work before: He had written it for the wrong instrument. Now that he had discovered the piece suited Violin and not Flute, it was complete and he felt lighter, for the piece had been troubling him for a few years now!

Smiling to himself as he finished playing, Sidney switched off the Piano, crashed on the sofa and stuck on the TV. However, even though TV was usually a good distraction, he still found Charlotte filling his thoughts, which was probably compounded by the anticipation of seeing her again tomorrow for the Playdate. There was still so much he didn’t understand about her, the main one being why she had dropped out of her course at Music College. Having attended the same College, albeit a few years before, Sidney knew that it offered support to students who found themselves in Charlotte’s situation, making it possible for them to defer their studies for a year to have their babies. It had happened to a girl on his course. There was also a subsidised nursery on site. He wondered what could have caused Charlotte to give it all up completely, particularly given how incredibly talented she was. Sidney flicked through his emails to find Charlotte’s one requesting an audition. She had listed she was the ConcertMaster for the Chelsea Philharmonic Orchestra. He did a quick Google of her name and the Orchestra and sure enough, there were old photos of her that came up. He also googled her name with the Royal Academy of Music. She had won an award for the best performance in her first year. She was obviously a model pupil, which made it even more curious why she would quit. In the end, Sidney concluded that something must have happened with Jake’s Father. Henry had said that Jake never had a Dad, and Charlotte had left College when she had Jake. It seemed like the only plausible explanation… but what could have happened? Would he get the opportunity to ask her tomorrow, or would that be rather impertinent? All Sidney knew was that he wanted to know.

This was all very well and good, but Sidney was not going to be able to get to know Charlotte if he didn’t stop acting like a Jackass every time they crossed paths. Even in the Audition today, he’d come close to behaving like a jerk. It was like he couldn’t stop himself when it came to her. Part of him enjoyed provoking her, for Charlotte’s reactions stirred something in him which was reckless yet exhilarating. And there was no point in denying that he was attracted to her. Who couldn’t be? She was objectively beautiful and of course his mind had been there, for he was a red blooded male after all. He’d been attracted to many women since Eliza had died, and surely this was no different? Was it? No, he wasn’t ready to go there. At the end of the day, the point in getting to know her was because their boys were friends and they both shared a love for music. He would not allow himself to go further than that… yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms/Music Theory
> 
> Key Signature - this is located at the beginning of a piece of music and tells a musician which notes will be # Sharps or b Flats, on a keyboard for example, these would be the black notes and can work either way - so D# can also be Eb. So seeing 3 # indicates the Key of A Major or F# Minor
> 
> https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/key-signature-hacks-easy-tricks-for-memorizing-major-and-minor-keys/
> 
> Tempo - this is the speed of the music, quite often directions are written in Italian, eg Lento means Slow and Presto means Fast. A musician needs to be aware of changes during the piece, which again are indicated in the music, ie Rallentendo means Slow Down
> 
> https://www.musictheoryacademy.com/how-to-read-sheet-music/tempo/
> 
> Time Signature - this again is located at the beginning of the music and tells the musician how many beats in each bar. 3/4 indicates 3 Crochet Beats or Whole Notes in every Bar, whereas time signatures such as 6/8 are known as Compound and indicate 6 quavers or half notes in every bar. This article uses American vocabulary, ie whole/half
> 
> https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/a-complete-guide-to-time-signatures-in-music/
> 
> Trills - these are flourishes which a musician adds when indicated in the music, quite often by a tr.... command and requires alternating fast between the note above and the note itself.
> 
> Grace Notes - again indicated in the music, an additional note that is played just before the actual note itself.  
>    
> Both of these techniques (trills and grace notes) are known as Ornamentation
> 
> https://www.musictheoryacademy.com/how-to-read-sheet-music/ornamentation/
> 
> ConcertMaster - the Leader of The Orchestra, Principal Violinist, generally sits on the end nearest the audience and enters before The Conductor. There is a hierarchy with First Violins on the front Row, Seconds behind etc
> 
> https://www.rockfordsymphony.com/faqs/what-is-a-concertmaster-what-are-hisher-responsibilities
> 
> PSHE - this is the Personal, Social and Health Education Curriculum, currently taught in UK Schools
> 
> A few useful bits...
> 
> Bach’s Partita No 2 for Violin has 5 Sections: (i) Allemanda; (ii) Corrente; (iii) Sarabanda; (iv) Giga; and (v) Ciaccona. Except for the ciaccona, the movements are dance types of the time, and they are frequently listed by their French names: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, and Chaconne. The final movement is written in the form of variations, and lasts approximately as long as the first four movements combined. Performance time of the whole partita varies between 26 and 32 minutes, depending on the approach and style of the performer. This partita is especially famous because of the astonishing Ciaccona, its final movement. Here is how Brahms expressed his feelings about it in the letter to Clara Schumann in June 1877: “The Chaconne is for me one of the most wonderful, incomprehensible pieces of music. On a single staff, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and the most powerful feelings. If I were to imagine how I might have made, conceived the piece, I know for certain that the overwhelming excitement and awe would have driven me mad”[2].  
> Written in the early 1700s, the Chaconne is the fifth and final movement of Bach's Partita No. in D Minor. Each section is based on a dance: the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue and then the Chaconne, which is longer than all four movements that precede it, combined. As the story goes, Bach wrote it in memory of his first wife, after he returned from a trip to discover that she had died.There are also theories that Bach wrote it as a homage to The Holy Trinity, being a devout Christian, another interesting article:
> 
> https://onbeing.org/blog/the-story-behind-bachs-monumental-chaconne/
> 
> The most extraordinary thing about the Chaconne is it’s length...around 15 minutes alone and consisting of an immense number of variations, which Bach was a master at. 
> 
> https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/what-is-a-partita/
> 
> Caprice definition: Capriccio, (Italian: “caprice”) lively, loosely structured musical composition that is often humorous in character. Caprice 24 by Paganini is regarded as one of the most technically difficult pieces of unaccompanied solo violin compositions. Both the Bach Partita and Paganini Caprice are mentioned in the included article on Violin Music.
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/violin/features/best-violin-pieces/


	8. Poco a Poco

Charlotte couldn’t sleep. She’d gone to bed at the usual time, avoided caffeine after 3pm and she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but it was 1.36am and she was still wide awake because she could not stop thinking about her Audition earlier today, and in particular, the way it had felt when she had played with Sidney. God she had missed it! But she hadn’t realised how much, until they had played together and the prospect of performing with a whole orchestra was beyond exciting! The composition they had played together was really special. It reminded her of one of Clara Schumann’s Romances for Violin and Piano which she had felt compelled to listen to, once she had put Jake to bed. The tune was still ringing in her ears and she couldn’t stop humming it because it was so exquisite. It was really wonderful to play with someone again, particularly someone so accomplished and in that moment, she had felt that she and Sidney had actually understood each other for the first time. And then, despite his aloof behaviour towards her, Sidney had even offered her a compliment! The fact he had called her ‘exceptional’ really meant something to her. It had been so long since she had performed to an audience and his comment had given her a much needed confidence boost. Was it possible that the Audition represented a turning point in their future interactions with each other?

Charlotte really couldn’t wait to start rehearsing, but unfortunately she wasn’t going to be able to make the Orchestra Practice tomorrow night. She had at least arranged for Mrs Miller’s daughter, Hannah, to come round on Saturday morning, so she could meet Jake. Apparently, Hannah was very pleased with the prospect of a regular babysitting job, as she was trying to save up to go travelling next summer, so it was a win-win situation! And then there was to be a Tour, to Berlin no less, somewhere Charlotte had never been, but was very eager to visit. She had been on a couple of foreign tours before, when at school and then one with the Chelsea Philharmonic Orchestra, when they went to Strasbourg. They were always good fun and a great way to bond with each other. Charlotte really wanted to go and hoped her family would be able to have Jake for the five days she would be away.

Perhaps it was all the excitement that was preventing Charlotte from sleeping… but her mind was also full of other thoughts and questions. She couldn’t help wondering why Sidney had given up performing. Lady Denham had mentioned that he had played at the Royal Albert Hall, so he must have gone professional at one stage. The way Sidney played the piano was truly a delight to behold, and he was obviously a very good composer. Surely such talent was wasted in a place like Sanditon? And why was he working for Parker Developments, when he was clearly born to play, teach and compose music? Maybe he had moved here to be with his wife and the job at Parker Developments was to supplement his income earned through Piano Lessons? Or maybe, they moved here because they wanted the children to grow up by the sea? Whatever it was, there must have been some sort of explanation and she was determined to find out. So many questions and hypotheses. No wonder she was having trouble sleeping!

**************

Charlotte was feeling very tired and restless the next day. She hadn’t drifted off to sleep until at least 3am and she had spent an inordinately long amount of time in front of the mirror trying to cover up the dark circles round her eyes with a concealer. This then threatened to make them late for school and they practically ran out of the door to meet Georgiana, Molly and Sienna. When they got to school, they were all a little out of puff (save for Sienna, who was being pushed in the buggy). Mr Stringer appeared with Miss Beaufort and escorted Jake into school and as usual, there were tears, but at least he wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably anymore. Charlotte watched Jake go into the classroom and then looked around the playground. Her eyes caught Sidney’s as he stood in his normal spot at the other side of the playground and instantly her stomach flipped and all she could think about was that he had called her an exceptional musician... His gaze made her blush and she quickly averted her eyes from his, but she couldn’t avoid him, for he was already walking over to her.

“Hey,” said Sidney, as he got closer to them.

“Hi,” Charlotte replied, her cheeks still flushed. “Have you met Georgiana before? She’s Molly’s Mum.”

“No, I haven’t. I’m Sidney. Henry’s Dad.”

“Nice to meet you,” Georgiana replied politely, looking between them curiously.

Sidney smiled at her and then focussed his attention back to Charlotte, who he noticed had a delightful pink blush on her cheeks, but her eyes, which were usually bright and shining, looked tired. “Just wanted to check that we’re still on for later? You know, the Playdate at the beach?” he asked.

“Yes, all good. Jake is super excited!”

“As is Henry. He has been literally bouncing off the walls since we arranged it.”

“It’s nice that they’re such good friends already,” commented Charlotte.

“Yeah,” Sidney replied. He wanted to continue the conversation, but words suddenly escaped him. “So, I’ll see you at pick up then?”

“Sure.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too,” Charlotte replied.

Sidney smiled at them both and then walked off.

“So, you’ve got a Playdate with the hot Dad?” Georgiana said.

“Georgiana!” Charlotte hissed, wondering if Sidney had heard her.

“Come on, all the other Mums have been saying it!”

“All the Mums?” Charlotte asked, very much doubting that statement.

“Well… OK, just me and Janet, Sophia’s Mum. We were talking about him the other day, because he stands all by himself and doesn’t seem to talk to anyone! He’s got this dark, mysterious brooding look about him. We came up with a theory he must work in the Secret Service or something. Janet will be most impressed that I’ve now learnt his name!”

“You make him sound like a celebrity! And you do know that he is married?” Charlotte reprimanded.

Georgiana shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate his good looks.”

Charlotte giggled. “You are terrible.”

“I just say it how I see it. Mr Stringer’s a bit of a catch too, don’t you think?”

“I couldn’t possibly comment, he’s Jake’s teacher!”

“I wonder if he’s single?” Georgiana mused.

“I hope you aren’t intending on doing any matchmaking. Dating really is not on my agenda right now,” Charlotte remarked.

“Well, now I’m one of these ‘old marrieds’, you know I take a great interest in other people’s love lives.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her. “Or lack of them… anyway, I didn’t think you and Otis were married?”

“We’re not, but you know what I mean.”

“Right, well… perhaps just hold off on the matchmaking for now, I’ve got enough on my plate,” said Charlotte.

Georgiana smirked. “Whatever you say.”

“I’d better dash. Lady Denham hates tardiness. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure. Bye.”

When Charlotte arrived at Sanditon House, she headed straight to the Drawing Room to see Lady Denham. She hesitated when she got to the door, for she could hear talking inside. Lady Denham obviously had a visitor. Charlotte knocked and entered the room, where her tired eyes fell on a tall, slim gentleman with blonde floppy hair, who was standing by the windows with Lady Denham. When Charlotte clocked him, her heart skipped a beat and she felt like she had been punched in the stomach, for he looked so similar to someone she really did not want to see. It wasn’t him though, why would it be? She must be more tired than she thought and her eyes were playing tricks on her. It couldn’t possibly be the person Charlotte thought it was, because as far as she was aware, Jake’s Father did not have any connections to Sanditon, which was one of the plus points of moving here.

“Miss Heywood? Are you quite alright, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Lady Denham commented.

“Yes, thank you. I am sorry for interrupting you,” Charlotte replied, trying to compose herself, for she did indeed feel like she had seen a ghost! However, on closer inspection, the gentleman in front of her, despite having some similar features to Jake’s Father, was clearly not him. She tried to calm her racing heart.

“This is my nephew, Edward,” Lady Denham said, as Charlotte walked towards them.

“Enchanted to make your acquaintance, Miss Heywood, was it?” Edward replied, rather charmingly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’ve just been explaining to Edward what we’ve done to the gardens,” said Lady Denham.

“Yes, aren’t they spectacular? Perhaps we could go for a short stroll before coffee and take a closer look, if you feel up to it Ma’am?” Charlotte suggested.

“Oh no, my hip is bothering me today. You should take Edward though. I can wait for you here.”

Charlotte looked nervously at Edward. “Very well,” she said, as Edward offered her a smile.

Charlotte and Edward grabbed their coats and then went off to the gardens.

“My Aunt can be rather demanding, can’t she?” Edward said, starting the conversation, as they walked.

“Surely she is allowed to be so in her own home?” Charlotte replied, not wanting to criticise her employer in front of her nephew.

Edward chuckled. “Very true.”

“How long is it since you last visited?”

“About a month ago,” Edward replied.

“Right, well, I think you’ll find some of the Autumn Roses are now in bloom and are particularly beautiful…” Charlotte began.

“I couldn’t care less about the Roses. I am merely indulging my Aunt by taking this stroll.”

“I see,” Charlotte replied, frowning at him and wondering what his true motives for being here were. “Was there a particular reason for your visit today?”

“ _Obviously_ to see my Aunt before her operation next week,” Edward replied.

“That is… kind of you, Sir,” Charlotte replied.

Edward sniggered. “You really do not have to address me like you do my Aunt. She is so old-fashioned. And I don’t particularly want to call you Miss Heywood either. What is your name? Your Christian name?”

“Charlotte.”

“Hmm… Yes, that name rather suits you,” Edward said, looking her up and down, which made Charlotte feel uncomfortable. “My Aunt tells me that you’ve only just joined the team?”

“That’s right,” Charlotte said, not wanting to divulge too much information about herself to a stranger.

“And how are you finding it so far?”

“Good.”

Edward smirked. “Come now, Charlotte, you do not need to pretend around me. I know my Aunt is difficult to work for.”

“I was telling the truth. I actually rather enjoy your Aunt’s company. She is certainly not short of lively conversation and she is one of the wittiest people I know. She makes me laugh,” Charlotte remarked.

“You won’t be saying that after a month with her, I can assure you. I suppose she has told you that she thinks we are all after her money?”

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, she has.”

“She does say the most outrageous things sometimes! I would take what she says with a pinch of salt. She is getting rather senile in her old age.”

Charlotte frowned at him. “I think she is still rather sharp actually. It’s her body that is failing, not her mind.”

Edward shrugged. “Well… you haven’t been here very long, but I can tell you now that she is not always sound of mind.”

“Right… well, I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for anything unusual about her behaviour,” Charlotte said.

“Very good of you, Charlotte,” Edward responded.

Edward spent the rest of the walk asking Charlotte questions about herself and she limited her responses to one word answers. She didn’t want to share things about herself to this stranger, particularly because he reminded her of someone else she had been trying to avoid for the last five years. She tried to deflect the questions and turn the conversation round to talking about him instead. After about ten minutes, Charlotte suggested they go back inside and they headed to the Drawing Room for coffee.

“So Miss Heywood, how did the Audition go yesterday?” Lady Denham asked, as the coffee had been served.

“Really good, actually. I got a place.”

“Ha! As if there was any doubt with a talent like yours!” Lady Denham said smugly.

“What Audition was this?” Edward asked.

“For Mr Parker’s Orchestra. Miss Heywood plays Violin incredibly well. What tunes did you play for him?” Lady Denham asked.

“An extract of Chaconne from Partita No 2 by Bach and Paganini’s Caprice No. 24.”

Lady Denham’s eyes widened. “My my, what bold choices! No wonder Mr Parker was impressed! And are you going to the Practice tonight?”

“No, I can’t tonight, but… but I’m hoping to join the Tour at half-term,” Charlotte replied.

“Ah yes, the Tour to Berlin, now that will be quite something.”

Edward snorted and Charlotte’s eyes flicked to him. “Are you a musician too, Edward?”

“Edward was not blessed with the musical gene, were you Edward?” Lady Denham sneered.

“No, Aunt. As you know, I have other talents,” Edward stated.

Lady Denham scoffed. “What talents are those then? No, it’sEsther, his sister, who possesses the musical ability. She is Principal Flautist in Mr Parker’s Orchestra.”

“Esther is my step-sister, and I do not see what the big deal is about Parker’s Orchestra anyway.”

Lady Denham narrowed her eyes at him. “Perhaps, that is because you have no appreciation for the Arts. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if we’re even related!”

“Aunt, you know we are only related by marriage. The Denham’s do not have a history of being musical, unlike the Breretons.”

“Esther is a Denham and she is musical,” Lady Denham maintained.

“She is only a Denham because her mother married my father…”

Charlotte thought it wise to change the subject. “Do you know Sidney Parker, Edward?”

“Not so much now, but we were rivals at School.”

“Rivals?”

Edward smirked. “Yes. We both competed for Head Boy, but because Parker was musical, he pipped me to the post.”

“See, music is always triumphant! You don’t know what you are missing!” Lady Denham remarked.

“I am perfectly content, Aunt.”

Lady Denham snorted. “If that was the case, then why did you come here begging for money?”

Edward shifted in his seat a little and Charlotte suddenly felt like she should not be a part of this conversation. “Come now Aunt, you know I am here because I wanted to see you before your operation next week.”

“You do not care a fig about my operation! You only come here when you need money. So how much is it this time?” Lady Denham demanded.

Thankfully, Mrs Miller entered the room at that moment with a plateful of biscuits, for Charlotte did not feel that this should be a conversation she should be privy to. As Mrs Miller was exiting the room, Charlotte made an excuse to leave too. Charlotte shut the door behind her, as she heard Lady Denham start to raise her voice.

Mrs Miller whispered to her in the hallway. “Don’t worry, Miss Heywood. They are always like this. You’ll get used to it.”

Charlotte forced a smile and followed Mrs Miller down to the kitchens, thinking that she would hide there for the next ten minutes…

************

Charlotte was rather pleased when it was time to leave Sanditon House and pick up Jake, for the atmosphere between Lady Denham and her nephew was really tense. Edward, seeking to prove that he cared for his Aunt’s welfare, had insisted on staying for the entire day, and Charlotte had found herself forced to act as Mediator. She was at least glad that such meetings seemed to only take place on a monthly basis, because it was rather exhausting, thus compounding the tiredness she already felt, following a poor night’s sleep. However, it was not the time to relax, because now she had a Playdate to get to and she was feeling anxious about it. The Audition seemed to have eased the tension between her and Sidney, but she wondered how the Playdate would go, particularly as she was still feeling embarrassed about the fact she had unnecessarily made him listen to her play another piece. Nervously, she walked through the playground to Mr Stringer’s Class, looking around for Sidney, but he wasn’t there yet. As she was looking, Georgiana appeared next to her.

“So, all ready for your Playdate with Mr Handsome?” she said, a little too loudly.

“Ssshh… Georgiana, someone will hear you!” Charlotte said.

Georgiana just laughed at her. “You are so easy to wind up!”

“Sorry, I’ve just had a day of it, and I didn’t sleep well, so I’m really ratty. I could do without the Playdate really.”

Georgiana faked a gasp “What? And miss out the opportunity of spending a couple of hours with the hot Dad! Surely not?!” she said, grinning.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her, but smiled anyway. She looked around her. And that’s when she saw her… It was Sidney’s Wife, come to pick up Henry and Charlotte felt rather disappointed… which was ridiculous and so inappropriate! Quickly, she shook herself out of it and turned her face towards the Classroom, where Mr Stringer was leading the children out to greet their parents. He gave her a big smile and a thumbs up. Charlotte smiled back, taking that as a sign that Jake had had a good day.

Sure enough, Mr Stringer confirmed that Jake had indeed had a super day. He had started to play with more than just Henry and Molly, which was a really positive step. She said goodbye to Mr Stringer and when he had left her, Charlotte was approached by Sidney’s Wife.

“Hi. You must be Charlotte. I’m Mary.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Sidney sends his apologies, but he got stuck in a meeting at work. He’s hoping to join us at the beach a bit later,” Mary explained.

“Oh, OK,” Charlotte replied, not really knowing what to say.

“I hope you don’t mind, but my two children will be tagging along to the Playdate too,” Mary replied, as they fell into step with one another and walked across the playground.

Charlotte frowned, not sure what she meant. “Er… sorry, I thought you only had Henry and Jenny?”

Mary smiled. “No, Henry and Jenny aren’t mine. I’m their Auntie.”

Charlotte blushed and then smiled. “Oh I’m so sorry, I assumed you were Sidney’s Wife!”

Mary giggled. “No, his Sister-in-Law. I do the pick-ups from time to time, when Sidney’s working.”

“Right,”Charlotte replied, thinking this curious. Perhaps she was right about Sidney’s Wife having a high-powered job.

“Come on, let’s get the rest of the gang and we can make our way to the Beach.”

They picked up the children and then headed to the Beach. Each child was presented with an ice-cream and once they had finished eating them, they were then told to run off and play. Charlotte and Mary sat on the sand watching them closely.

“Henry and Jake are clearly two peas in a pod. Look at them digging that big hole together!” Mary remarked.

“Yes, probably digging for dinosaur bones,” Charlotte agreed, smiling. “I’m really pleased Jake has found a friend. He’s finding School a bit difficult.”

“Some children take longer to settle than others, but they all get there eventually.”

Charlotte sighed. “I hope so. I think the move here and all the change has affected him more than I anticipated. I was thinking it would be a fun new adventure for us, but I didn’t appreciate how tough Jake would find it all.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Charlotte. Kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. Besides, he is having a whale of a time at the moment,” said Mary.

Charlotte smiled. Mary was right. Jake was clearly in his element, as he was shouting directions at Henry on where to try digging next.

“Henry let slip that you’re a single Mum. That can’t be easy,” Mary said.

Charlotte shrugged. “I don’t know any different. Jake’s Father has never been a part of his life.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary said.

“Don’t be. It’s better this way,” Charlotte said simply, as she drew patterns in the sand with a stick around her feet.

Mary looked at her curiously. “So you’ve not been in Sanditon for long?”

“No, just a couple of weeks, actually. I’ve got a job working for Lady Denham, up at Sanditon House,” Charlotte replied.

“Ah, so you’re the new Companion?” Mary replied.

“Yes…”

“My husband Tom mentioned that he had met you, although he had forgotten your name,” Mary said, rolling her eyes.

Charlotte smiled. “Your husband has some rather grand plans for the Concert Hall. It is a very exciting Project.”

“Tom’s grand plans do not end with the Concert Hall. He has set his heart on many Projects here in Sanditon. As soon as one comes to an end, he starts another. It can be rather exhausting. At least Sidney helps keep him in check.”

“You seem like a close family,” Charlotte remarked.

“Well… we’ve been through a lot together, Sidney more than anyone,” Mary said.

Charlotte was about to ask why that was, but then she spotted none other than the man himself walking towards them.

“Ah, speak of the devil,” Mary said, giving him a wave and he waved back. He was dressed rather smartly in a sweater and chinos, having come straight from work, but had taken off his shoes and socks and rolled up his trousers to his calves.

“Hi.” Sidney said as he came to sit down on the other side of Mary. “Thanks for picking up the kids.”

“No problem,” Mary responded.

“You've missed the ice-cream van I’m afraid,” Charlotte said, as she attempted to tuck her wild locks behind her ear, as the wind was blowing them all around her face. Sidney found it rather entrancing.

“Gutting. Did they have the Mint Feasts today?” he asked.

“Oh yes, both Jenny and Henry had one,” said Mary. “Good luck getting them to eat dinner.”

Sidney chuckled and then an awkward silence descended for a moment. “I’m just going to rescue Alicia from James,” Mary said with a smirk on her face, as they looked over and could see Mary’s daughter getting cross with her brother. Mary got up and walked off, leaving Charlotte and Sidney sitting timidly together.

Eager to start the conversation, Charlotte said. “I met an old friend of yours today.”

“Oh yes, who was that?”

“Edward Denham.”

Sidney pulled a face. “Edward Denham told you we were friends?”

Charlotte smiled. “Well… no he actually said you were rivals at school. He seems like quite a character.”

“You’ve got that right. Thankfully he doesn’t come and visit here very often,” Sidney said.

Charlotte found this intriguing. “Sounds like you’ve got quite the history with him…”

“Something like that,” Sidney replied, as he looked out to watch the kids, clearly not willing to engage further in this topic of conversation.

Charlotte decided to change the subject. “Mary seems nice,” Charlotte said.

“Yeah, she’s great.”

“I’m afraid I rather embarrassed myself and assumed she was your Wife,” she admitted.

Sidney chuckled a little at her confession. “Ah… well, no she’s not my Wife, she’s my Sister-in-Law.”

“Yes, she cleared that one up,” Charlotte said, her eyes flicking again to his left hand where his wedding ring was, but as Sidney had not offered any information on his Wife, she felt she couldn’t ask him about her. There was something else bothering her that she wanted to get off her chest, however…

Sidney chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking he ought to clarify that he was widowed, but before he did, Charlotte spoke again.

“Sidney… I owe you an apology for yesterday,” Charlotte began. “I’m sorry I snapped at you after you stopped me playing Chaconne. I just assumed… well… I made some false assumptions and I’m sorry,” she said, avoiding his gaze.

Sidney gazed back at her, thinking it curious that she had decided to apologise when he was the one that had been such a dick. “I think I should be the one apologising, not you,” he said. Charlotte’s eyes flew back to his. “I completely over-reacted about you running into me and the whole one way thing and I’m sorry.”

Charlotte offered him a little smile. “Well, seeing as you’ve let me into your Orchestra, I think I can find it in myself to forgive you.”

Sidney smiled back at her, a truly beautiful smile that warmed, yet stabbed at her heart, because it wasn’t right that he should make her feel like that.

“So… shall we start over?” Sidney suggested.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “Sure.”

Sidney held out his hand to her. “Hi. I’m Sidney Parker.”

Charlotte took his hand tentatively. “Charlotte Heywood,” she replied.

“Nice to meet you Charlotte,” Sidney said, in a deep and soft tone that gave her butterflies. She wished it wouldn’t.

“You too,” she almost whispered back, as she became more and more aware of his hand holding hers, along with the inappropriate sensations that it evoked in her, given his marital status, so she promptly let go.

They smiled shyly as they looked back out to the boys.

“The boys seem to be getting on well,” Sidney said “You know, Henry talks of little else but Jake at home.”

“That’s sweet. Jake is pretty similar,” Charlotte replied, chewing on her lip a little nervously, as she continued to draw circles in the sand with the stick.

Sidney looked over to her, distracted a little by the alluring way she was biting her lip, and her hair dancing in the breeze. There was so much he wanted to ask her, but he knew he had to tread carefully. They had only just reached a truce after all. “Henry mentioned that Jake’s been picked on at school?”

“I don’t think it was intentional, you know what kids are like. They are so black and white sometimes. The School’s been really supportive though. Mr Stringer is just great,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, he is a good Teacher. He taught Jenny when she was in Reception too,” Sidney remarked.

There was another awkward pause in conversation and Sidney felt increasingly nervous. He wanted to ask her about Jake’s Father, but it didn’t feel right. Quickly he thought of another question. “Are you coming to practice tonight?”

“Oh, no, sorry. I couldn’t get a babysitter, but we’re meeting a prospective babysitter at the weekend, who is looking for a regular job.”

“That’s good. I still feel bad about putting you on Second Violin.”

Charlotte smiled again. “Honestly, it’s fine. I totally get there is an established hierarchy that I need to slot into. I understand Lady Denham’s niece, Esther, is your Principal Flautist?”

“Yes that’s right. And her other niece, Clara, plays the French Horn.”

“Ah… we won’t hold that against her,” Charlotte smirked.

Sidney smiled too. “What is it about Strings and Brass not getting on?”

Charlotte shrugged. “I don’t know really, it’s just what it is in every Orchestra I’ve ever been in. Isn’t it good to have a little competition though? It makes us all strive to be better.”

“As long as it doesn’t distract from the music, then fine,” Sidney replied.

“Daddy!” A voice called, out interrupting the conversation and Jenny came running over.

Sidney grunted as Jenny launched herself on him, causing him to fall backwards into the sand. “Hi sweetheart,” Sidney said chuckling, as he held her in his arms. Charlotte found it rather adorable.

“Come and see what Henry and Jake have found,” Jenny said enthusiastically.

Both adults got to their feet and Jenny took each of their hands and pulled them towards the various holes Jake and Henry had dug up. The boys were huddled round their latest find, talking excitedly together. They had found a rock with a pretty pattern (not a fossil, but the boys were convinced it was a part of a dinosaur) and they were absolutely delighted with it. The boys really wanted to keep digging, but it was approaching dinner time and Charlotte was really flagging herself from the lack of sleep. Jake and Henry both took some convincing that it was time to go home, but eventually both boys gave in.

“It was nice to meet you Charlotte. I’ll see you at pick-up tomorrow,” Mary said, as she bid her farewell and walked off with her older children.

Charlotte turned to Sidney. “Thanks for suggesting this,” she said.

“We should do it again sometime… I mean… so the boys can play together,” Sidney stuttered, cursing himself for his choice of words.

“Jake would love that,” Charlotte replied. Sidney nodded. “See you around then,” she said.

“Sure,” said Sidney and they both walked off in the opposite direction.

After a few paces, Charlotte glanced back at Sidney, as he wandered off with his children, before turning her head back and sighing heavily, unaware that only a few seconds later, Sidney did the exact same thing.

*************

Jake talked non-stop about the ‘dinosaur bone’ all evening. Even when it was time for bed. Charlotte was sure he would have taken the rock to bed with him if he could, but she managed to persuade him to keep it on his bedside cabinet. Jake and Henry had agreed to take it in turns to have the rock, and Henry very kindly let Jake have it first. Charlotte read Jake a story and then went to say goodnight.

“Mummy…” Jake said, as she tucked him in.

“Yes, Jakey.”

“Henry said that he wants a new Mummy. So can I have a new Daddy?”

Charlotte was completely taken aback by Jake’s question. “Why does Henry want a new Mummy?”

“Because his Mummy’s in Heaven.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock. “Henry’s Mummy… is in Heaven?” she repeated.

“Yes. Henry said his Mummy died when he was a baby and Miss Beaufort said that she has gone to Heaven. Is my Daddy in Heaven too?” Jake asked.

Charlotte had no words… literally no words in response to her son’s question. “I… erm…” she began, but still the words didn’t come out. She took a deep breath.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry I can’t tell you much about your Daddy, but he’s not in Heaven.”

“Where is he then?”

Charlotte was starting to panic a little. “I can’t tell you, darling.”

“Everyone has a Daddy. I want one too,” Jake said.

Charlotte smiled sadly, as tears started to prick in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jake. It’s just you and me, I’m afraid.”

“It’s not fair!”

“No… you’re right, it’s not,” she said, as she stroked his hair. “Are there some children at school who are saying unkind things to you?”

“No. Mr Stringer told them off.”

“Well that’s good. Do you like Mr Stringer?” she asked.

“Yes. He knows a lot about dinosaurs.”

Charlotte smiled, grateful that the conversation had moved on. “Then you and Henry should tell him about the dinosaur bone you found today.”

“Can I take it to school?”

“Well… we can take it with us in the morning, but you’ll need to ask Mr Stringer if you can take it into the Classroom.”

“OK.”

“Right, sleep time now. I love you lots,” Charlotte said, as she gave him a hug and a kiss and a couple of tears fell from her eyes.

Charlotte switched off the light and closed the door behind her, as more tears started to flow. Eager not to let Jake hear her cry, she ran into the bedroom and shut the door. She didn’t want to cry, but sometimes keeping her secret was too much to bear. There had been so many times when she had almost told someone, her sister Alison especially, but she couldn’t do it. And now Jake was older and asking questions, she needed to be better prepared to respond. He couldn’t know the whole truth, that was certain, but she needed to at least think of something to tell him…

Angry with herself for getting upset, Charlotte hastily wiped her tears away and walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen, to make herself a drink. She grabbed her phone and flicked through the photos she took on the Beach with the kids to cheer herself up. Sidney’s children looked so happy. You wouldn’t know from looking at them that they had experienced such loss in their short lives. Her heart broke for them and she felt rather guilty for her moment of self-pity. Jake may never have had a father figure, but he had not been through the trauma of losing a parent. She couldn’t imagine how hard that must have been, even if Henry had been a baby at the time. Curious, Charlotte started googling Sidney’s name as she flicked through the TV channels to find something interesting to watch. His name came up next to a YouTube video. She muted the TV and she clicked on the clip. It was a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 with the London Symphony Orchestra. She watched avidly, as Sidney walked up in a smart suit to the grand piano, bowed to the audience and then took his seat. She smiled as she noticed that he was playing without music. She watched as the Orchestra started the Concerto and then Sidney came in with the Piano Cadenza. It was so beautifully played, that even though it was a recording, she got goosebumps.

Next to the Tchaikovsky video was another one, this time of Sidney playing Chopin’s Nocturne in C# Minor, in what looked like the Concert Room at the Royal Academy of Music. Charlotte’s heart began to beat faster as she realised she had played the exact same piece in the exact same place with her friend during her time at The Academy. Sidney had obviously been there too, a few years before her. She clicked on the video and listened. The piece brought back memories of her time at College and she felt a pang of sadness that it had had to end. Not wanting to feel melancholy again, she stopped the video prematurely and looked at the next result of her google search. It was an article in the Royal Academy of Music’s Alumni News. There was a photo of Sidney and his Wife which accompanied the news of her death. Sidney’s wife was beautiful. Jenny looked a lot like her, save that she had her father’s brown eyes instead of her mother’s blue ones.

Charlotte put down her phone and took a gulp of her decaffeinated tea, her mind once again restless and in overdrive. Sidney and his family had obviously been through a lot. Was this tragedy what Mary had alluded to on the Beach? Was this the reason why Sidney had put his music career behind him? She had made so many assumptions about Sidney, not that anyone could blame her, given his behaviour towards her, but it made her feel even more guilty. At least they had agreed to start over, and Charlotte no longer needed to feel bad about finding him attractive, not that she’d admit that to Georgiana, seeing as she had stated that she took an interest in the love lives of others… No, Charlotte would keep that information to herself for the time being. The last thing she needed was anymore complications in her life, and entertaining the idea of being attracted to Sidney Parker was certainly a complication. She needed to focus on her boy. Jake needed her right now, given the difficulties he had been going through at school and that was her priority.

Charlotte sighed heavily, her eyes heavy with tiredness. She switched the TV back on and settled down to watch an episode of Big Bang Theory… and pretty soon after she drifted off to sleep…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms  
> Poco a Poco - a musical direction meaning ‘little by little’ or ‘gradually’.
> 
> Clara Schumann’s Romances for Piano and Violin can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yJFcJOFwtE4  
> Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybg2BEy_pu0  
> Chopin’s Piano Nocturne No. 20 in C#Minor can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxibkvfXWIo
> 
> Musical instruments are categorised into groups, principally:
> 
> Strings - played with a bow or plucking (pizzicato)
> 
> Woodwind - the sound is generated by blowing through a mouthpiece
> 
> Brass - blowing through a mouthpiece again, different techniques required 
> 
> Percussion- a wide variety of instruments, mostly involving a striking action
> 
> https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/orchestral-instruments/
> 
> The Strings carry generally the most weight in a full Orchestra. This link provides an interactive perspective 
> 
> https://www.classicsforkids.com/music/instruments_orchestra.php
> 
> The British Composer Benjamin Britten wrote ‘A Young Person’s Guide to The Orchestra’ in 1946 as an introduction to the instruments, using a familiar melody ny Henry Purcell.
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/britten/guides/best-recordings-brittens-young-persons-guide-orche/
> 
> https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Young-Persons-Guide-to-the-Orchestra
> 
> Here is an illustrated guide: https://youtu.be/TjOiZReM7m4
> 
> This link gives an enjoyable introduction to the different instrumental sounds as well: https://youtu.be/Sr-l2m8twX0
> 
> Musicians need to be able to follow the directions given when reading music and this is conveyed using Italian language. Here is a guide:
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/musical-terms/
> 
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zp4d97h/revision/3
> 
> And why Italian? https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/why-italian-words-in-music-notation/


	9. Rhapsody in Blue

Finally, Charlotte was here at her first Orchestra Rehearsal for goodness knows how long and she was filled with nervous anticipation. She had been really disappointed to miss the Practice last week, but it had been the right decision to postpone coming until now. Jake had met Hannah, Mrs Miller’s daughter, last weekend and they had hit it off so well, that he was very excited when she had showed up to babysit tonight. Charlotte made sure Hannah got there a little early, so they had time to play and then they could put Jake to bed together. Jake was such a good boy about it, and when Charlotte had left the house, he was already asleep. Knowing that Jake was happy with the choice of babysitter made it so much easier for Charlotte to relax and not worry about him. In fact, there were less reasons to be worried about him in general, because Jake had been having a much better time at school this week and the drop offs were finally beginning to get easier and less emotional. Charlotte was so proud of him! As he was adjusting to the change, Jake was once again becoming the confident and cheerful little boy that she knew him to be and she was beyond relieved!

So with Jake happily asleep at home, Charlotte had driven to St Peter’s School in her Volvo, with her Violin in the footwell of the passenger side. She was early, but there were other people arriving, so she didn’t think that was a bad thing. She got out of the car and followed the person walking ahead of her into the School. When she arrived in the Hall, there were a handful of people helping to set up chairs and music stands, including Sidney. She decided to make a beeline for him, as he was the only person she was likely to know. He saw her as she approached him and gave her a smile. They had not spoken all week, as Charlotte had to rush to Sanditon House after drop-off and Mary had done all of the pick-ups. The sight of him filled her with nerves.

“Hey,” Charlotte said.

“Hi. All ready for your first Rehearsal?” Sidney asked.

“I think so,” she replied. “I spoke to my Parents about the Tour, and they’re happy to have Jake… so I’m in.”

Sidney felt extremely pleased about this and couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great! If you could get the deposit and booking form to me in the next few days, th,en I can confirm your place.”

“OK, I will. Can I help set up?”

“Sure. Chairs and stands are in the cupboard over there. Warren and Rebecca will help guide you where to put them,” Sidney said, nodding over to the other side of the room where Warren and Rebecca were sitting up the Timpani Drums.

Charlotte put her Violin down and started to help set up. She made small talk with Warren and Rebecca who were both percussionists and seemed nice and then before she knew it, the Hall was full of Musicians. She headed to the Strings Section, unsure where to sit, for there was not a spare seat for her.

“Can I help you?” someone said, a young woman, Violin in hand.

“Yes. This is my first Practice. I’m Charlotte, Second Violin.”

“Sidney didn’t mention a new Violinist was joining…”

“Oh… well I auditioned last week.”

“Right. I’m sure he just forgot. I’m Lydia, the Concertmaster. Welcome to the team,” she said, holding out a hand.

Charlotte took her hand, feeling a little annoyed that Sidney had not said anything to the ConcertMaster of all people.

“Go and grab yourself a chair and you can sit next to Cat here, while I get you some music,” Lydia said, pointing to another young woman, who gave Charlotte a curious look, and then Lydia went to go and speak to Sidney. Charlotte sighed and trudged back to the cupboard to grab a chair and placed it next to Cat. It looked like Lydia and Sidney were in a heated debate and she felt embarrassed, because they were probably arguing about her. Still, it would have been common courtesy to tell the ConcertMaster that a new person was joining, especially as it was in her Section.

“Hi, I’m Charlotte,” she said, introducing herself.

“I’m Catherine, not Cat. Lydia calls me that even though she knows I hate it, and this is Benedicte,” she said, introducing the young lady next to her. “Don’t mind Lydia at all. Sometimes the power goes to her head a bit. Plus, she’s pissed with Sidney, because he keeps calling out the First Violins for playing the middle section in Wagner’s _Ride of the Valkyries_ wrong. He really lost it last week and has threatened to pull the piece.”

Charlotte could well believe it, given she too had been a recipient of Sidney’s short fuse. She looked at him now, still locked in an intense conversation with Lydia and his eyes flicked to Charlotte’s momentarily, causing a fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, even though he looked very irritated. Charlotte was sure he told Lydia to sit down, which, after walking over to hand Charlotte her music, she reluctantly did.

“Right everyone, quiet down please, we have a lot to get through tonight. Woodwind, you can tune first, here’s your note,” he said, playing an A on the piano in front of him. The Sections tuned their instruments in turn and then Sidney called them back to attention.

“Before we get started, you may have noticed, we have a new member tonight…” Sidney began, and Charlotte instantly reddened and shrunk back a little into her seat. “Charlotte Heywood has joined the Strings Section… Charlotte, just stand up briefly, so people can see you.”

Nervously, Charlotte stood up and then quickly sat down again. “Please introduce yourselves _after_ the practice. OK… Let’s start with the _Radetzky March_ to warm us up.”

Sidney took out his glasses from his pocket and stuck them on, as he arranged and scanned the music in front of him. There was a smattering of giggles and rustling from the Woodwind Section as he did so, which Charlotte found rather curious. She focussed her attention on Sidney, watching him with rapt attention, for the sight of him in his glasses was rather endearing. Was this what the girls were giggling about? The glasses made him look smart… and sexy, because if Charlotte was honest, she found Clark Kent much more attractive than Superman… or Batman for that matter. The thought made her blush again. She needed to get a grip and not get distracted… She would certainly NOT giggle, that was for sure. This was her first practice and she was determined to ace it!

**[You can listen to Strauss’ Radetzky March here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=devpasbOcSI]**

Sidney looked to Warren to start the _Radetzky March,_ as he conducted him in on the Snare Drum and after his introductory solo, the whole orchestra came in together… and what a sound it was! The noise of each instrument reverberated around the School Hall in the most magical and uplifting way and flooded Charlotte’s senses. It had been ages since Charlotte had heard live music and the sound was incredible. This was a really fun piece and you could tell all the Orchestra enjoyed it by the way they played it. Charlotte kept one eye on the music, one on Sidney as she looked to his direction to keep in time and emphasise the dynamics in the right places. He was a good and attentive Conductor who clearly had studied and knew the music well. All to soon they finished the piece and Sidney moved onto the next one, the First Movement of _Dvorak’s Largo_ , a delicate piece of music that reminded Charlotte of a sunrise and when she played along with the Orchestra, it felt as if the sun was rising on the next phase of her life.

**[You can listen to Dvorak’s Largo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3o5RzHGsp4]**

Charlotte’s whole body started tingling. The music filled her, making her feel as light as a feather. The music seemed to flow in the blood in her veins, like it was a part of her very soul and Charlotte suddenly felt she was somewhere she belonged. The Woodwind Solos were played beautifully. In fact, the Orchestra played the Symphony flawlessly - it was obviously a favourite, yet Sidney did not seem particularly pleased at the end…

“Good. Right… Wagner, _Ride of the Valkyries_ ,” Sidney said, and as soon as he did, there was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere in the room, as people grumbled in hushed voices and shuffled the sheet music on their music stands. “Let’s concentrate and get this piece right today,” Sidney added, giving the Strings a particularly stern look. Sidney’s eyes caught Charlotte’s, as he looked in her direction and his mouth twitched slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but didn’t. Charlotte quickly looked back at the music. She had never played this before, but she knew it. Wagner was known for writing particularly complex parts for the Violin, and this looked like no exception. The Second Violin part was fiendish. No wonder they had been having trouble with it!

**[You can listen to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkryies here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JeuQ-CA67w]**

“OK, everyone ready? 1, 2, 3…” Sidney said, conducting them in and off they went in an explosion of sound, for the piece was very dramatic and it went well… until the middle section, when Charlotte could sense something was not quite right with the First Violins. As she was thinking it, Sidney signalled for them all to stop playing.

“No, stop, stop,” Sidney said exasperatedly, as he rubbed his brow and everyone groaned and rolled their eyes.

“First Violins, how many times do we have to go through this?” He took the music from his Conductor’s stand and sat down at the Piano. “This is how it goes…” he said and played the complicated section to them as though it were as easy as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Sidney then stood up again. “Right. Now, your turn.”

The First Violins took their positions and Sidney conducted them in to try again, however, it still didn’t sound right.

“No, no, no, no no!” Sidney said, then clenched his jaw to try and prevent the expletives coming out of his mouth. He stood in silence, gripping onto the stand as he tried to calm himself and thinking that perhaps he should just give up on this one and try something different. However, he was not a man to admit defeat. He looked up from his music and his eyes caught Charlotte’s. (In fact, his eyes tonight had kept glancing her way as if drawn to her, but he would not admit that.) Her big brown eyes were staring into his and there was a slight frown on her face, as she waited for him to make his next move. Sidney wasn’t sure what made him do it, but before he could think about it, the words came out of this mouth. “Charlotte Heywood. Would you come up here and show the First Violins how it’s done please?”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock and mortification. What on earth was Sidney playing at? This was her first practice and she was Second Violin NOT First Violin and she didn’t even know the First Violin’s part, so she would have to sight read it. Her heart was hammering fast and she felt a little sick.

“Charlotte, don’t keep us waiting, come on,” Sidney urged.

Feeling like she had little choice, Charlotte reluctantly rose to her feet, feeling the eyes of the entire Orchestra on her. The tension in the room was suffocating and again she felt a wave of nausea. Slowly, she walked over to Sidney, who had the Music Score in front of him, her footsteps echoing on the wooden floor.

“Play from bar 128, please,” said Sidney.

Charlotte nodded and glanced at the music. It really was a very complex passage, more so than the Second Violin’s, but absolutely pivotal to the piece to get right. She took a deep breath, placed the violin on her shoulder, her eyes fixed on the music, for she dare not make a mistake in front of everyone (not least Sidney, seeing as he had specifically called her out to play it), then she went for it without hesitation, praying as she went along that she would play it right.

Sidney read the music over Charlotte’s shoulder as she played, checking she was hitting each note accurately, and as he suspected, she played it god damn perfectly. Why couldn’t the others?

“OK, and stop there,” Sidney said, bringing Charlotte to a stop. “Perfect. Now, see where you went wrong? I want you to play it all with Charlotte and follow her lead. Now, 1, 2, 3…”

They all played again, and this time the First Violins played much better, albeit there were a couple of muffled bits. Sidney made them play it together another two times, until he was satisfied they had nailed it.

“Great. Right, Charlotte, pull up your chair next to Lydia, I want you playing First Violin for this,” he said, handing over some music.

Charlotte glanced at Lydia. She had an ugly scowl on her face and was clearly very miffed by Sidney’s decision. Charlotte couldn’t blame her really, because it was her first practice and she had, (albeit not by choice) shown them all up. Charlotte went back and grabbed her chair from next to Catherine, to move to the front row. Catherine and Benedicte gave her sympathetic looks as she did so. She sat down next to Lydia and avoided eye contact. This was not a good start for making friends. If anything, she was now Lydia’s rival.

“Everyone together now, from bar 128,” Sidney said, raising his Conductor’s baton and conducting them in. This time, they played the section without fault and continued through the piece to the end.

“Excellent. It’s sounding really good. Woodwind, watch the dynamics a bit more from bar 165, it needs to be a more gradual Crescendo. OK, let’s move on to John’s Williams’ _E.T_ Score,” Sidney said.

Charlotte got up to go back to Second Violin.

“Where are you going, Miss Heywood?” Sidney asked her, a hint of amusement in his voice. Charlotte turned to face him, once again feeling all pairs of eyes on her and wishing the ground would swallow her up.

“Back to Second Violin,” she replied, as quietly as she could, knowing full well her face was probably bright red.

Sidney smirked, which annoyed her, because he was obviously enjoying this at her expense. “That won’t be necessary,” he replied, handing her a new pack of music for First Violin.

Although she should have taken it as a compliment, Charlotte did not appreciate the gesture and instead, glared at him, snatched the music off him and sank back into her seat. She then had to try to search for the music while everyone waited for her and she could sense Sidney’s impatience, even if she didn’t look at him. Eventually, she managed to extract the music and put it on her stand.

“OK then, everyone ready?” Sidney asked, even though his eyes were fixed on Charlotte, as she looked back at him with narrowed eyes, ready to start playing. He conducted them in and off they went.

Sidney didn’t think he had met anyone with such expressive eyes. The fairer sex had always been a bit of an enigma to him, and to be fair, Charlotte was no exception, but when he looked into her eyes, he could usually gauge what her feelings were at any one time and right now, Charlotte was pissed… really pissed with him, along with embarrassed, but he wasn’t sorry for it. No, he was not sorry for it one bit, because he knew that she would be able to play that part, when no-one else could, and more than that, lead the others in playing it, and now, there was no way she was going back to Second Violin. Lydia Bennett may be the ConcertMaster, and she was talented, no doubt about it, but she was not a Leader. Lydia was too competitive and not a team player, always insisting on being given the Solos to the deprivation of others. She enjoyed the status and power that came with that position, but failed to acknowledge the responsibility. He couldn’t demote her of course, but she needed to be put in her place. Perhaps Charlotte could help him with that…

Charlotte was fuming. How dare Sidney do this to her in her First Practice! She was nervous enough as it was, but now she had never felt so embarrassed. How was she able to make friends if he singled her out in that way? Then, he had the audacity to be smug about it, like he enjoyed provoking her. It was insufferable! She wished she didn’t have to keep looking his way for the rest of the evening, but he was the f***ing Conductor and she didn’t have any other choice. And she was sure he kept looking at her, as if to aggravate the situation further and she found herself spending the rest of the practice praying he didn’t address her again. Never before had she wanted to have the power of invisibility. Charlotte was usually not shy of the limelight, she was a Musician after all, but she wanted to be out of it tonight!

A couple of hours later and the Practice ended. Despite having sat next to her for practically the whole rehearsal, Lydia refused to talk to or even look at her. Awkwardly, Charlotte put away her music and her Violin, as the other Orchestra members rushed about packing up.

“Hey,” someone said next to her. It was Catherine. “Nothing like a bit of drama at your first practice eh?” she said, smiling.

“You could say that. I’m so embarrassed,” Charlotte replied, as they stacked some chairs together.

“Don’t be. We all know what Sidney’s like, and besides, you played that section bloody perfectly. The First Violin’s haven’t been able to play that for weeks!”

“I don’t mind helping out, but I didn’t sign up to show people up,” Charlotte replied.

“Maybe they needed to be humbled? You made them play it right didn’t you? And I think most of the Orchestra are going to thank you for that, because it has been excruciating waiting for them to get it right.”

“Lydia is going to hate me.”

“Don’t worry about it, no-one likes her much anyway,” Catherine responded. “Come on, let me introduce you to some more like minded people.”

Catherine led Charlotte over to a small group of people who were laughing happily together and made the introductions. The group included Esther Denham and Clara Brereton, whom Charlotte knew to be Lady Denham’s Nieces.

“Charlotte, can I just say thank you for getting the First Violins to nail that Section, because we were all going insane about it!” said Clara.

Charlotte blushed. “Well, I’m glad I was helpful, even though I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life.”

“Seriously, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s the First Violins who should be embarrassed for being so incompetent,” Esther remarked.

“That’s a little bit harsh…” said Catherine.

“Harsh, but true. You’ll be taking Lydia’s crown off of her next.”

“Oh no… that is absolutely not why I’m here…” Charlotte began.

“Don’t worry, I was joking,” Esther replied, smirking. “So, are you new to Sanditon then?”

“Yes. I arrived a couple of weeks ago.”

“Isn’t it a dreary place?”

“Er… well, I’m enjoying being by the sea, as is my son, Jake.”

“You have a child?” Esther said.

“Yes. He’s just started School.”

Esther studied her curiously. “Aren’t you a bit young to have a child in School?”

“Esther!” Clara hissed.

Even though the question usually made Charlotte uncomfortable, she found herself smiling back this time. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I get that comment a lot. In fact, your Aunt said the exact same thing.”

Esther gave her a confused look. “You know my Aunt?”

“Yes. I’m Lady Denham’s new Companion.”

“Huh! Small World.”

“And how are you enjoying my Aunt’s sharp tongue and outspoken opinions?” Clara asked her.

“I find her conversation rather refreshing actually. It’s quite amusing, when she tries to put me in my place,” Charlotte replied.

“Well, if you can handle her doing that, then you have more patience than I! Did you meet my brother Edward, last week?” said Esther.

“Yes, I did,” Charlotte said, not sure what to say about him.

Clara smirked. “And how did you like him?”

“Oh well… it was nice of him to visit. Although him and your Aunt seem to… clash,” Charlotte said, deliberately trying to avoid answering the question, for she didn’t really like him much at all.

“I don’t think there are many people who wouldn’t clash with my Aunt,” said Esther, rolling her eyes.

“Ladies.” a voice interrupted, and they all turned to face the bearer. It was Sidney, now without his glasses. Perhaps it was a fantasy of hers, but Charlotte wanted to believe that after her audition, ‘glasses on’ Sidney would transform into the kind person she had seen he had the capacity to be, but he had once again disappointed her. It was clear he was a dick, with or without glasses on.

“Time to continue your conversation away from here, as I need to lock up,” he said, and even though he was addressing the group, his eyes lingered on Charlotte.

“Right-O Boss,” Clara said jovially, as they started to gather their things and made their way to the exit.

“Do you and Sidney know each other?” Catherine asked her, as they exited the building.

“A little. Our boys are friends at school. Why do you ask?”

Catherine shrugged. “Just sensed some tension between you.”

Charlotte was sure she was blushing again and hoped no-one would notice. “Well, I imagine there is, after what he did to me in my First Practice. Talk about a baptism of fire!”

“Yes, that must be it.”

“So… Pub anyone?” Esther asked the group of girls, as each of them agreed. “Charlotte?”

“I can't, I'm afraid. I’ve got to relieve the Babysitter, as I promised it wouldn’t be a late one.”

“Fair enough. You’ll have to come out with us another time though. Maybe one weekend?” Clara suggested.

“Sure, that would be fun.”

“Great. Night then.”

“Night,” Charlotte replied, as she headed to her car and watched the girls wander off. As she turned to get into her car, she saw Sidney approaching and as quickly as she could, she jumped into the car. She did not want a conversation with him, not now when she was still feeling angry with him. He may well have a tragic past, but that was no excuse for him being such a wanker to her and she needed to leave, before she said anything she would later regret. She started the car and drove off into the night.

Sidney watched as Charlotte literally jumped in the car and sped away, obviously trying to get away from him as fast as she could. Perhaps he had gone a step too far tonight, but what was done was done. She would thank him for it eventually, because a talent like hers should not be hidden away in Second Violin. He should never have put Charlotte there in the first place, but Orchestra etiquette dictated it. If he was going to be in her bad books for the next few days, then so be it. Besides, now he could include Wagner’s _Ride of the Valkyries_ in their repertoire for the Tour without any concerns… provided Charlotte would still come, after the events of tonight.

“F***!” Sidney said out loud. The Tour! Charlotte’s place still wasn’t confirmed. God, he hoped he hadn’t put her off, because it felt important that she should be there! No, she would still come, he was sure of it… well, he was fairly certain.

“F***!” Sidney cursed again as he ran his fingers through his hair, his heart starting to hammer in his chest. He needed to get a grip on this, whatever it was, when it came to her, for Charlotte had been on his mind a lot for the past week and it was not good for him.

He wrenched open the door of his Citron Picasso and dumped his music on the passenger seat, as he sank into the car and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms
> 
> Crescendo: to get louder
> 
> Dynamics: volume of music
> 
> Score: the music musician’s read
> 
> John Williams montage, just fabulous! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJAwxTYeGUc
> 
> John Williams conducts ET Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dJCtATZ9A
> 
> Information on John Williams:  
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/williams/guides/john-williams-ten-best-movie-soundtracks/jaws-richard-dreyfuss-2/
> 
> Why do Orchestras tune to an A?  
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/oboe/features/orchestras-tune-to-oboe/
> 
> This references the title Rhapsody in Blue, by Gershwin, which is one of my CordeliaJane70's all time favourites...  
> https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/what-is-a-rhapsody/
> 
> Bohemian rhapsody....fascinating!  
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/queen-bohemian-rhapsody-structure/


	10. The Discord between Divas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may wish to listen to the following while reading this Chapter (and please keep listening to the playlist).
> 
> Bartok - Transylvanian Dances  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdYbEJewNSs
> 
> Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique, 5th Movement - Witches Sabbath  
> The link is a performance of the entire work, performed by the extraordinary Orchestra, start at 1 hour 16 for the 5th Movement  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGta6Mtecps
> 
> Mussorgsky - Night on a Bare Mountain  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NeKz22Mdxo
> 
> Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awRj_KdSVvY
> 
> Saint-Saens - Danse Macabre  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71fZhMXlGT4

The days seemed to be racing by incredibly quickly, so that before Charlotte knew it, the weekend had passed and she was already half way through the next week. Lady Denham had her hip replacement operation on the Friday, the day after Charlotte’s first Orchestra Practice, and today (Tuesday) she was being discharged from Hospital. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Edward had offered to pick up his Aunt from Hospital and his sister, Esther, was intending to go with him. In the days running up to Lady Denham’s return from Hospital, Charlotte had been helping Mrs Miller get Sanditon House ready for her recuperation, converting one of the downstairs rooms into a temporary bedroom, so that Lady Denham did not have to ascend the two flights of stairs to her usual bedroom. Mrs Miller was very jittery and particular about exactly how things should be done and Charlotte suspected it was because she knew that whatever arrangements they had made to the House, Lady Denham would be sure to find fault somewhere - it was her nature after all!

At exactly 11am on the dot, Edward’s car turned into the driveway and Charlotte and Mrs Miller braced themselves for Lady Denham’s arrival…

********

Esther knew that she would regret offering to accompany her brother to pick up her Aunt, but she had agreed to it now and there was no going back. Even though they lived in the same town, Esther avoided her Aunt like the plague, for they both couldn’t stand each other. The animosity between them had started a few years ago, when Esther had temporarily moved into Sanditon House and to say that the living arrangements did not suit either party was an understatement. The problem was that both of them were too similar in personality; being both stubborn, haughty and generally hard to please - so they clashed on many levels. It was ridiculous that they couldn’t live together really, given the size of the House and how easy it would be to go a whole day without seeing each other - yet being under the same roof became so unbearable, that Esther moved out after a couple of months.

The situation of the Denham family was a complex one. Lady Denham was Esther’s Aunt, although only by marriage, in fact, a second marriage. Lady Denham’s husband, Lord Philip Denham, was the oldest of three brothers. The middle brother, Daniel, died in his twenties from an undiagnosed heart condition, leaving no issue. The youngest was Malcom, who was 17 years younger than Philip (his conception was rather a surprise). Given the age gap between them, the brothers were never close and their relationship was tested further, when Malcolm met Sally Fraser, his first wife, in his early thirties. Sally was only 18 at the time and when she fell pregnant with Edward, Malcom felt compelled to do the right thing and marry her, even though there was no real love between them. The marriage caused a big rift between Malcom and his older brother, for he disapproved of the match most vehemently and they became estranged. Rumours also circulated around the marriage: many people said that the age difference would cause tension in the relationship, and unfortunately, this was the case. One day, when Edward was only two years old, the household woke up to find Sally gone and a note saying that she was never coming back. The only correspondence they had after that was through Sally’s solicitor to finalise the divorce and no-one had seen her since.

Malcom met Esther’s Mother sometime later, when he was in his mid forties. Esther was only five at the time and life had been a struggle. Her Mum, Violet, was a single mother, struggling to make ends meet as a hairdresser by day, and singer in a seedy bar at night. Malcom met her at the bar one night and it was love at first sight. Within only a couple of months they were married and Esther’s life changed dramatically overnight, as she gained a father, and a brother, Edward, who was now 12. Esther idolised Edward. He gave her the attention she craved and there was nothing he could do wrong in her eyes. Esther’s new Step Father also doted on her, as it was his dearest wish to have a daughter and he began showering her with gifts and then as she got older, paying for dance and music classes. This was in direct contrast to how he had treated Edward, who had pretty much been brought up by the Nanny. Edward’s relationship with his father became more and more strained as time went on, so much so that when Edward moved to London to go to University, he decided to stay there rather than going back home. The trouble was that Edward reminded his father of his first wife, for he had inherited a lot of her characteristics, and now Malcom had found the love of his life with Violet, he wanted to erase Sally from his memory.

Edward found the change in the family dynamics harder than he let on. He blamed his father for his mother leaving and him missing out on a relationship not only with her, but also his father and he envied Esther, who was now his father’s favourite. For a time, he acted up because of it, until one day, he saw the opportunity to use his father’s favouritism for Esther, and Esther’s adoration for him, to his advantage. It was little things at first, like getting Esther to ask for an extra biscuit which she would give to him, but then it was asking for gifts and later money, for his father would not deny Esther anything. Esther would do anything for Edward, so she was happy to do whatever he asked. She viewed their relationship as close and special, thinking that Edward loved her as much as she loved him, especially when the hardest part of their lives was about to come, when their parents died in a tragic car accident four years ago.

Whilst their deaths were devastating enough, it came as a bigger shock to discover that Malcom had left his Estate in substantial debt and they were forced to sell the family home in Sussex to settle his debts. With Lady Denham the only family they had left (her husband, Philip, having died the previous year), Esther temporarily moved to Sanditon to live with her, but it didn’t work out. The truth was that their Aunt was suspicious of Edward and Esther’s intentions, for she was rich, and they were poor and as such, Lady Denham was convinced that the only reason they were trying to build a relationship with her was to get at her money and this was probably where the quarrel between them first arose. This was compounded by the fact that with his monthly allowance no longer available, Edward was not used to having to budget, and he frequently found himself struggling to make ends meet, as he lived an over exuberant lifestyle in London. His Aunt would take pity on him every so often and give into his requests for money, but she was not overly generous. Esther was a little better at living within her means, and she set aside a sum of money each month to send to Edward.

Given the difficult relationship between Lady Denham and her Niece and Nephew, it was therefore indeed a surprise to have them pick her up from Hospital and rather unsurprisingly, the journey from the Hospital back to Sanditon House was excruciating. Esther was gritting her teeth so tightly, that her jaw was starting to ache. Lady Denham had already spoken her mind about how much it displeased her that Edward and Esther were picking her up, and then there were the complaints about the way Esther pushed her in the wheelchair, and the size of the car, and the way Edward drove over the bumps. God, she really was infuriating and it took all Esther’s strength not to retort, for it didn’t seem right to do so when she was in a fragile state healthwise. After what seemed like hours of torture, the car drove into the driveway and Esther saw Mrs Miller and Charlotte walk out to greet them with a wheelchair.

Between them all, they managed to get Lady Denham into the wheelchair and wheeled her into the House, where she inspected her makeshift room and instantly made some demands to change where they had placed the furniture. Then, feeling fatigued, they helped her into bed and left her to sleep.

“Will you be staying for lunch?” Mrs Miller asked Edward and Esther, as they milled about in the hallway.

“No.” Esther said, but Edward had said “Yes'' at the same time and Esther sighed with displeasure.

“Fine, Yes.” Esther conceded.

“It’ll be served in the Dining Room in half an hour.” Mrs Miller confirmed.

“I’m going to get some fresh air,” Edward said, as he walked off to find the gardens.

Esther sighed again, thinking that she would pass the time sitting in the Conservatory and made her way there. When she got there, she sank into a chair and took a deep breath. God, she hated it here! How she wished she had gone to London with Edward after their parents had died, when there was the opportunity, then she wouldn’t be stuck in Sanditon. For that is what she was: stuck. It wasn’t that life was a struggle, but she was bored. She worked for Parker Developments as its Marketing Assistant and although she didn’t hate the job, it was not something she envisioned doing forever. The money was good though, and that deterred her from looking elsewhere. Furthermore, even if she was looking to move to London, she had limited qualifications which meant that she would only be able to apply for the low paid jobs, which wouldn’t make enough income for her and Edward to get a decent flat together, at least that is what he told her. No, she was stuck here for the time being, and she had learnt to live with it. Playing in the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra offered her a bit of enjoyment and escapism, not that she’d admit it to anyone, but overall, she would much rather be somewhere else… or more particularly, with Edward in London (not that Esther had any idea what Edward did in London, but he claimed to be doing the odd ‘deal’ from time to time).

As Esther was musing on her fate, Charlotte came into the Conservatory with a tray of tea and biscuits.

“You looked like you could do with a cuppa. I went with tea. Hope that’s OK?” Charlotte said.

Esther was rather taken aback by Charlotte’s kind gesture. “Tea is fine, thanks.”

Charlotte poured her a cup and handed it over to her, before pouring herself one and sitting down too. “Mrs Lucas has been experimenting with Macarons if you fancy one?” she said, grabbing the plate of biscuits and offering Esther one, which she took and tasted.

“Hmm… not bad.” Esther commented, which was as far as her compliments would go, as she was not one to heap praise on someone.

“Did the doctors say much about your Aunt?” Charlotte asked.

“Honestly, I think she’s been driving everyone mad and they are glad to be rid of her. She had been telling the Nurses how to do their jobs, as you’d expect. They said the Physio will be visiting tomorrow at some point and is going to come a couple of times a week. They gave us some leaflets too. I’ll dig them out of my bag after tea.”

“Sounds good.” Charlotte said, sipping her tea.

“So are you looking forward to your second Orchestra rehearsal on Thursday?” Esther asked Charlotte with a smirk on her face.

“Yes... Hopefully it will be less eventful than last week.”

“There is always some kind of drama on a Thursday night. In fact, last week was rather tame by normal standards. I did very much enjoy you putting Lydia in her place.”

“I'm glad someone enjoyed it. Does Sidney always single out people like that?” asked Charlotte.

“Sometimes. I’ve had it done to me a few times, but you know, it only makes us better.”

“Perhaps. Still, I can’t help thinking it’s not got me off to a great start with Lydia and the rest of the First Violins.” Charlotte mused.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. At the end of the day, they couldn’t play the section until you showed them how to do it. You are obviously a really talented musician, Charlotte, and Sidney should never have put you in Second Violin in the first place.”

“Well… that’s just Orchestra etiquette isn’t it?”

“No-one gives a toss about that!”

“I expect Lydia cares about it.”

“Who cares what she thinks? She’s so far up her own arse sometimes,” Esther remarked. Charlotte giggled at Esther’s words and Esther did a little too. “Well she is! Seriously, you don’t want to be worried about her. I doubt she’ll be in the Orchestra much longer.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because she thinks she’s better than us all and we’ve had enough. Even Sidney is fed up with her. Perhaps that’s why he let you in, to take Lydia’s place.

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Oh God, no… no, I’m sure that’s not it. I don’t even want to be Concertmaster!”

Esther shrugged. “Well, you’ve already proved you’re the best Violinist in the Orchestra. It would make sense.”

“But I’ve only just joined! Plus it’s been years since I’ve been in an Orchestra. All I want to do is play music and make some friends.” Charlotte maintained.

Esther regarded her again, thinking Charlotte seemed to be genuine, in fact, she rather liked her. “Fine, up to you. Do you plan on coming on Tour with us in half term?”

“Yes! I just need to give Sidney my deposit and booking form.”

“Good.”

“Has the Orchestra been on Tour before?”

“No. I don’t think Sidney wanted to be away for too long from his kids.” Esther commented.

Charlotte frowned a little at Esther’s words, as her curiosity peaked. “Did you know Sidney’s Wife?”

Esther shook her head. “No. Sidney came to Sanditon after she died and the Orchestra’s only been going for a couple of years. How did you know about his Wife?”

Charlotte blushed a little. “Oh, well, our boys are friends at school and Jake told me one night.”

Esther noticed the pink tinge appearing on Charlotte’s cheeks. “So you are already acquainted with Sidney then?”

“A little, at least, our paths have crossed a few times, you know, on the School Run.”

Esther studied her again, sensing she was holding something back, but deciding against pushing it. “Sidney’s a bit of a conundrum. I’m sure half the Orchestra are in love with him.” Esther remarked.

Charlotte was glad she didn’t have a mouthful of tea, for she was sure she would have choked on it. She cleared her throat. “There seemed to be a lot of giggling from your section of the Orchestra.”

Esther rolled her eyes. “I know! Lynn and Bianca have this obsession with Sidney wearing his glasses. I don’t get it at all!”

Charlotte tried not to look too sheepish. She completely understood the hysteria around Sidney in glasses, but she was not going to admit that to someone she had only just met, so she just drank her tea and ate another Macaron.

Esther deduced from Charlotte’s silence that she thought Sidney was attractive in glasses too, but she didn’t say any further about it, and presently changed the subject. “So a group of us are going out this weekend. Just drinks at Harry’s Bar and then perhaps onto a Club. Fancy joining us?” Esther asked.

“Provided I can get a babysitter, then yes that would be great! I can’t actually remember the last time I went out for a night on the town!”

“I can imagine it’s hard to find time to yourself when you have a kid.”

“Yes, it is.”

“What happened there anyway? I mean, you can’t be older than 25!” Esther asked.

“Oh… well… I fell pregnant when I was at Music College and after having Jake, decided not to go back.”

“What about Jake’s Father?”

Charlotte shifted a little in her seat. “He’s not on the scene. I don’t really like to talk about it.”

Esther looked at her curiously. “Fair enough. How did you find yourself in Sanditon then?”

“I needed a change of scenery. I’d been living on my Parent’s Farm since Jake was born and it was time for me to go out into the big wide world.”

“Why Sanditon though?”

Charlotte shrugged. “The job with your Aunt came up and I always wanted to live by the sea, so it seemed like a bit of an adventure.”

Esther raised her eyebrows. “Working for my Aunt is an adventure?”

Charlotte smiled. “It’s infinitely more lively than my life was in Willingden. Have you always lived in Sanditon?”

“No. I moved here when my parents died.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry.”

“Why? It’s not like you have anything to be sorry for.”

Charlotte found Esther’s response a little odd. “No. I suppose not, but that must have been pretty shit.”

Esther’s mouth twitched. “Yes. It was very shit. I hate it here actually, but I’m stuck here for the time being.”

“What do you do for work?”

“I’m a Marketing Assistant at Parker Developments.”

“I see. So have you been doing work on the Concert Hall Project?” Charlotte asked.

“A little, but not a lot. I try not to get too involved in my Aunt’s projects, so our paths don’t cross.”

Now it was Charlotte’s turn to be curious. “Your Aunt said you two didn’t get on. Why is that?”

Esther hesitated a moment before answering; she didn’t like being put on the spot. “It’s rather complicated. Her husband and my Step Father were estranged and the rift between our families has never really gone away. Of course now, she just thinks we are after her money.” Esther said.

“Whose money are we after, dear Sister?” Edward said, surprising them mid conversation by entering the room after his turn about the garden. Charlotte jumped a little and turned her head to face him. She still felt really uncomfortable in Edward’s presence, and she wasn’t sure why. The trouble was that at first glance, Edward did look a lot like him…Jake’s Father….

“Our Aunt’s, of course. I was just explaining to Charlotte what she's like,” said Esther.

“Ah yes, the charming Miss Heywood,” Edward said, giving her a knowing smile and plonking himself into a seat next to her. “Working hard, I see.”

Charlotte glared at him in response.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell my Aunt you’re slacking,” he added, as he helped himself to a Macaron.

“I am not slacking, I’ve been working all morning and this is my coffee break.” Charlotte maintained.

“So defensive, Charlotte! Don’t worry, no-one can blame you for wanting to excuse yourself from your duties in these next few days, while my Aunt is recuperating.”

“That is not what I’m doing at all!” Charlotte protested.

“Just ignore him, Charlotte, he’s just trying to wind you up. It’s not like you can do much when my Aunt’s asleep,” said Esther.

“Yes, with any luck she’ll sleep for the rest of the day!” Edward exclaimed..

“You want to stay all day?” Esther asked.

Edward gave her a look and Esther let out a frustrated sigh. Taking that as her cue to leave, Charlotte got out of her chair and said. “I’ll go and enquire about Lunch.” and with that, she left the room.

Once she had gone, Esther turned to Edward. “Why the hell do we need to stay here all day, Edward?” Esther hissed at him.

“You know why! Our Aunt is our only living relative, think how it would look if we just abandon her in her hour of need.”

“She is not in any need, Edward, she has her Staff to look after her. And speaking of Staff, why did you have to be so rude to Charlotte?”

Edward shrugged. “I was only messing around.”

“Flirting more like.”

Edward smirked. “And if I was, why would it matter?”

Esther couldn’t answer that question at first, but then she came up with a reason. “Because she is a member of our Aunt’s Staff and it is inappropriate.”

“Whatever you say, Sis.” Edward said, chuckling.

*************

Charlotte was grateful when the time came to collect Jake from School later that day. Once Lady Denham had woken from her nap, she needed a lot more care than anticipated, because she was very immobile. She took her frustrations out on anyone in her vicinity, so by the time it came for Charlotte to leave, each one of them had had an earful. When Charlotte arrived at the School, she took her usual place in the playground, and she saw Sidney take his spot too. They hadn’t spoken since the rehearsal last week, and Charlotte had been deliberately avoiding him. She still hadn’t quite forgiven him for putting her on the spot, even if she appreciated his reasons why. However, there was no escaping him today, because she had brought her booking form and deposit cheque with her, so she needed to face him to give it to him.

Charlotte watched as Jake and Henry came bouncing out of school together with Mr Stringer and even though she was nervous about talking with Sidney, the joy on their little faces made her smile. She ought to arrange another playdate for them soon, but she was putting it off. The fact was that she was not sure what the lay of the land was with Sidney. They seemed to push each other’s buttons and just when she thought they had ironed out their misunderstandings, something else would happen. And after what had happened at the Practice last week, she wasn’t sure she was ready to spend a couple of hours with him on a playdate…

Mr Stringer came to talk with Charlotte again when Jake came out with his usual cheerful smile.

“Jake has been a superstar today. He did an amazing self portrait and his Maths was brilliant!” Mr Stringer said. “I really think he’s settling in well now.”

“Thank you, Mr Stringer. He certainly seems more himself,” Charlotte replied. Mr Stringer smiled again and nodded at her.

But before he went away, he said. “I’ve been meaning to ask, we’re looking for some more volunteers to help out with the Bake Sale next week and I was wondering if you might be available?”

Charlotte did not know anything about a Bake Sale. “There’s a Bake Sale?” she asked.

“Yes, a week on Friday, after school. We sell cakes in the playground. The PTA has organised it.”

“Ah OK. Sorry. I’m struggling to keep up with everything that’s going on!”

Mr Stringer smiled softly at her again. “That’s OK.”

“If you’re hoping I’ll bake something, then I will have to disappoint you I’m afraid, as I am a rubbish baker.”

Mr Stringer chuckled. “No. We just need help in selling the cakes.”

“OK, I’m sure that will be fine.”

“Thank you. I’ll add your name to the list then. Bye Jake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Mr Stringer,” Jake replied.

“Goodbye Miss Heywood,” Mr Stringer said, bobbing his head, and then heading back to his Classroom.

When Mr Stringer had left, Charlotte looked over to where Sidney should be, but he had already gone to pick up Jenny.

“Everything OK?” Georgiana asked Charlotte, as she sauntered up to her with Molly and Sienna.

“Yes. I’ve just been roped into help at the Bake Sale next week.”

“Mr Stringer is hard to say no to isn’t he? Especially when he has such a cute smile,” Georgiana whispered.

“Georgiana!” Charlotte admonished. Georgiana giggled at her. “You didn’t see where Sidney walked off to, did you?” Charlotte asked.

“Sidney?”

“Henry’s Dad.” Charlotte clarified.

Georgiana grinned. “Another one of your suitors, Charlotte?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I just need to give him the deposit for the Orchestra Tour.”

“If you say so! He headed in that general direction,” Georgiana said, pointing across the playground.

“OK. Thanks. We’ll catch you up.”

“OK. Come on Molly,” Georgiana said, as she led Molly away and pushed Sienna in the buggy.

Charlotte took Jake’s hand and went wandering around the playground in search of Sidney. She found him with Jenny and Henry on the other side of the school.

Sidney saw Charlotte approaching and he was suddenly hit with an onslaught of nerves. He hadn’t approached her since the rehearsal, because it was clear she was trying to avoid him and he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. He wondered what she wanted, as she had clearly sought him out about something.

“Hi,” Charlotte said tentatively.

“Hey,” Sidney replied, as an awkwardness descended between them.

“So… I have my booking form and cheque for you… for the Tour.” Charlotte stuttered, as she rooted through her handbag for them… but the documents were nowhere to be found. “Sorry, I thought I’d packed them…” She huffed frustratingly, as she continued to search. Sidney just watched her, finding the scenario a little amusing. “Sh… sugar,” she cursed. “I must have left them at home… I’m such an idiot!” she said, embarrassed, a pink tinge forming on her cheeks, which Sidney found very endearing.

“It’s OK. Just bring it with you to Practice on Thursday.”

“It won’t be too late?”

“No, it’s fine.” Sidney reassured her.

“OK, thanks.”

“Mummy, are we having a Playdate with Henry now?” Jake asked, next to her.

“Not today sweetie, as Jenny has ballet,” Charlotte said and Sidney was rather taken aback that she remembered this little detail. “But definitely soon.”

“Oh!” Jake said, disappointedly.

Sidney smiled at Jake’s reaction, but Charlotte looked uncomfortable. He crouched down to Jake’s level. “Sorry champ. I know how much you and Henry love playing together. But I promise we’ll have you and your Mum over for tea soon, OK?”

“You mean, I get to go to Henry’s house?”

“Yup. And I’m sure Henry will want to show you all his dinosaur toys.”

“Oh yes Jake! You can see my big T-Rex toy, it roars and everything! And Daddy, can we have dinosaur sandwiches for tea? Or maybe dinosaur pizza?” Henry interrupted.

“Dinosaur sandwiches AND pizza?” Charlotte asked, as she looked down at the adorable scene in front of her, as all the children crowded round Sidney, who was still squatting down.

Sidney glanced up at her. “Oh yes. We go all out dinosaurs in our house. We’ve got these special dinosaur sandwich cutters.”

“But I want a fairy pizza!” Jenny said.

Sidney chuckled and drew her in for a hug and a kiss. “Of course you can have a fairy pizza, Jenny.”

“I think I would prefer a fairy pizza too. There aren’t any fairies in my house, just dinosaurs.” Charlotte said.

Jenny looked at her. “I have loads of fairies at home. I can show you.”

“Amazing!” Charlotte said, grinning.

Sidney stood back up. “I suppose now I’ve made the promise, we ought to fix a date. It’s going to have to be in a couple of weeks though, as work is crazy at the moment.”

“That’s fine. Shall we do a Thursday again?”

“Sure.”

A momentary silence fell between them, as they looked at each other nervously.

“I guess we’d better let you head off to Ballet.” Charlotte said.

“Yeah.” Sidney said, as they all started walking off in the same direction, the kids skipping ahead of them.

Sidney nervously ran his fingers through his hair at the back of his head, thinking that he ought to say something about the rehearsal last week, as it felt like it was becoming the elephant in the room.

“About Practice last week…” Sidney began.

Charlotte tensed a little. “What about it?” She asked, purposefully looking ahead of her.

“I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much.”

Charlotte let out a little huff and shook her head, not sure whether Sidney was being sincere or not. “Is that right? For it seemed like you were enjoying yourself a lot at my expense.”

Sidney smiled guiltily. “I was enjoying it, because… Christ Charlotte! You don’t know how many times we had gone through that section of _Ride of the Valkyries_ and you played it perfectly the first time, just like I knew you would. Were you sight reading it?” he asked.

“Yes.” Charlotte admitted.

Sidney smiled. “See. I said you were an exceptional musician!”

Charlotte stopped and Sidney followed suit. “Look Sidney, I get that you want the Orchestra to play well, but there are ways of doing things. I didn’t appreciate being singled out in that way, not on my first Practice. And what’s more, you didn’t even tell Lydia I was joining!”

Sidney frowned at her. “This isn’t Lydia’s Orchestra, I don’t have to let her know everything that’s going on.”

“She’s the Concertmaster and the Head of the Section I joined! It would have been common courtesy to do so, or at least to introduce us on the night.”

Sidney’s eyes narrowed. “You are both adults, aren’t you? Surely you can introduce yourselves to each other.”

“That is not the point.” Charlotte said.

“What is the point then?”

“The point is that it was rude. And I don’t want you using me to show people up.” Charlotte demanded.

“That was not the intention,” Sidney replied, getting closer to her and annoyingly making her stomach flutter. “You shouldn’t be hiding your talent away, Charlotte. The Strings Section needs you to lead them, especially in that piece. Lydia can’t do it, but you can. So I am not going to apologise for using your talent in that way, even if it was uncomfortable for you.”

Charlotte was scowling at him. She knew Sidney had complimented her, but she was still, if not even more, pissed with him and the truth was she wasn’t exactly sure why.

Sidney could read from Charlotte’s eyes that she was still pissed with him, for he could see the raging fire behind them, making them sparkle brightly, but contrary to her intentions, it was not having the desired effect on him, quite the opposite!Instead, it was stirring up something dangerous, something that Sidney had been trying to suppress for a long time and he found his eyes glancing at her luscious lips, as if they had a mind of their own…

“Daddy are you coming?” Jenny called over.

Sidney hastily tore his eyes off Charlotte’s lips and looked in Jenny’s direction, feeling rather flustered. “Yes coming!” he shouted back. Sidney swallowed uncomfortably. “See you on Thursday, Charlotte,” he said and then walked off rather quickly.

Charlotte was still reeling from what Sidney had said, but somehow she managed to force her feet to continue their walk across the playground. She found Jake and they caught up with Georgiana, Molly and Sienna, where she made small talk and pretended everything was OK. Charlotte wasn’t OK though and she was beginning to think that nothing was OK when it came to Sidney Parker…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> PTA: Parent Teacher Association
> 
> Some fun stuff on Divas...  
> https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/pictures/more-pictures/diva-moments-classical-music/richard-wagner/
> 
> Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique  
> https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2014/aug/19/symphony-guide-hector-berliozs-symphonie-fantastique
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/berlioz/guides/story-hector-berliozs-symphonie-fantastique/
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/berlioz/guides/symphonie-fantastique/
> 
> Mussorgsky - Bare Mountain  
> Fabulous educational resource from BBC - Ten Pieces, features a range of music, with lots of great links  
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces/primary-music-ks2-mussorgsky-night-on-bare-mountain/zvw2t39
> 
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/mussorgsky/music/night-bare-mountain/


	11. Off the Beat

Georgiana could tell that all was not well with Charlotte on the walk home from School, for all the answers to her questions were one word answers. As such, she decided to do the neighbourly thing and invite Charlotte in for a cup of tea. They drank their tea in the kitchen, while the kids sat in front of the TV watching CBeebies in the lounge.

“So… spill… what’s up?” Georgiana said, looking over her mug of tea at Charlotte suspiciously.

Charlotte thought she was being inconspicuous, but apparently not. “Nothing’s up.” She lied.

“Come on Charlotte, you’ve been evasive ever since you went to find Sidney.”

Charlotte huffed. “All we seem to do is argue. He’s just so rude!”

“Are you sure that’s it? Or is it because secretly you consider him a DILF?” asked Georgiana, smirking.

“DILF?” Charlotte asked, frowning.

“Dad I’d like to f***!”

“Christ, Georgiana! Is that really a thing?” Charlotte said, blushing despite herself.

Georgiana laughed at Charlotte’s reaction. “Oh yes!” Charlotte shook her head disbelievingly.“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it? Besides, now we’ve found out he’s single…”

“I am NOT having you set me up with Sidney Parker, Georgiana. I really draw the line at that.” Charlotte said adamantly.

“Why?”

“Because he is a first class arsehole,” Charlotte explained.

“God, you really must have fallen out!”

“You have no Idea, you really don’t know half of it!”

“Tell me then.”

Charlotte proceeded to tell Georgiana about all her interactions with Sidney to date; the Audition; the Playdate; the Rehearsal; and conversations in the School Playground, so that she was up to speed.

“So let me get this straight… you’re pissed with Sidney because he said you were talented?” Georgiana asked, confused.

“No… well, yes he did say that, but the point is that he could have gone about the whole thing in a much better way, so that he didn’t embarrass me or make me Enemy Number One with the Concertmaster.”

“Who no-one really likes anyway…”

“I knew you wouldn’t get it,” Charlotte snapped, throwing her arms up in frustration.

Georgiana smiled. “It’s not that I don’t get it. Even if Sidney is going about things the wrong way, it’s not like he’s being malicious or anything. He seems to just want what’s best for the Orchestra.”

“He just gets to me,” Charlotte sighed, a deep frown between her eyebrows, as she thought about what Georgiana was saying. “I think it’s just been one of those days. Lady Denham came out of Hospital today and she’s been more demanding than usual. Her niece and nephew were there too, who she doesn’t get on with, so you can imagine the tension in the house. I’m pretty exhausted by it to be honest.”

Georgiana smirked. “Yes that must be it,” she said, taking another sip of tea. “You know, the other Mums were talking about Sidney the other day. They said his wife died of Breast Cancer three years ago.”

“Yes, I was aware. Esther said he came to Sanditon shortly after his Wife passed.” Charlotte replied.

“I can’t imagine what those children went through,” Georgiana commented.

“No. Me neither. They are such adorable kids. You wouldn’t know it to look at them that they lived through that.”

“I suppose they were very young. I doubt Henry remembers anything.”

“That makes it even more tragic, that he can’t remember his mother,” remarked Charlotte.

“True. Life is so cruel sometimes.”

Charlotte was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt and she stared into her tea cup. Perhaps she shouldn’t judge Sidney so harshly, given all he had been through. Was there a way they could interact with each other without one of them offending the other? But it wasn’t just guilt about how she was judging Sidney, but also about Jake… he had been deprived of a Father his whole life, because of the choice she had made. Charlotte wasn’t in any doubt that it was the right choice, but had he suffered because of it? She had done her best to make up for the fact that there was no Father Figure in his life, but could anything actually fill that void? And the last time they had spoken about it, Jake had asked her for a Daddy and even though she would give him anything, this was the one thing that she was unable to give…

“I also heard on the grapevine that Mr Stringer is single,” Georgiana said, breaking Charlotte out of her musings.

Charlotte gave Georgiana a stern look. “Georgiana, you can’t possibly be considering matchmaking me with him. He’s Jake’s teacher! It would be inappropriate.”

“There’s no law against it. I think you two would make a cute couple.”

Charlotte shook her head again. “I don’t think so. Anyway, as I’ve told you before, dating really is not a priority right now.”

“Charlotte, I know having Jake makes things more difficult when it comes to dating, but you’re young and gorgeous and have a lot going for you. You shouldn’t write dating off completely. You never know what’s around the corner.”

Charlotte chewed her lip and then sighed again. “The truth is there’s not been anyone since Jake’s Dad. I wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to dating.”

Georgiana frowned at her. “What, no-one?”

Charlotte shook her head, a little embarrassed.

Georgiana continued to look at her with concern. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I have to ask… Jake’s Dad… did he… did he hurt you…..physically?”

“No, nothing like that!”

“Then why is his identity such a big secret?”

“It’s complicated,” Charlotte answered.

“You can trust me Charlotte.”

“I know I can, but I just can’t talk about it, OK?”

Georgiana huffed frustratingly. “Why? Why can’t you tell me?”

“Please, Georgiana, just drop it.”

“Charlotte, it may even help you to talk about it?” suggested Georgiana.

“No. It won’t. I’m sorry, but I am not going to talk about this with you. And it’s not a question of trust or because I don’t value your friendship, but it is because I just can’t.”

A deep frown appeared on Georgiana’s brow, but she accepted that Charlotte was not going to tell her… at least not today. “OK, if you say so. But you can’t keep using whatever happened with Jake’s Father to stop you considering another relationship.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” Charlotte protested.

“Isn’t it?”

“No! There just hasn’t been the opportunity for dating. I’m a Single Parent, Georgiana. How on earth do you suppose I go about pursuing a relationship with someone?”

“This is the 21st Century, Charlotte, there are plenty of ways to meet people! Dating apps, Tinder, Speed Dating? Christ, even if you went out to a Club, I’m sure you’ll meet someone.”

“I very much doubt I’ll meet a guy at a Club who is interested in dating someone with a kid. Don’t people who go out to these places just want one-off hook ups anyway?”

Georgiana’s eyes lit up, as if something dawned on her. “Maybe that’s exactly what you need? A one-off hook up?”

“There is no way I’m bringing a stranger to my house, when there is Jake to think about!”

“Fine, it was just a thought. I do think you need a night out though.”

“I am having a night out as it happens,” said Charlotte.

“When?”

“Saturday, babysitter permitting. Esther, Lady Denham’s niece, invited me. She plays in the Orchestra.”

“Well then, make the most of it. Perhaps you’ll meet someone?”

“I doubt it.”

“Just try to keep an open mind.”

Charlotte sighed. “Fine.”

“God I’m jealous. I don’t think I’ve been for a Girls’ Night Out since Molly was born,” Georgiana reminisced.

Charlotte considered this. Perhaps she ought to invite her. “Why don’t you come with us?”

Georgiana looked at her eagerly. “Do you think it would be OK for me to tag along?”

Charlotte shrugged. “I don’t see why not, given I am tagging along already. I can always ask Esther at Practice on Thursday.”

Georgiana bit her lip, and you could see the excitement in her eyes. “I’ll have to check it’s OK with Otis… but a night out would be amazing!”

“Well… you can only come with us if you agree not to try and hook me up with anyone.”

Georgiana grinned at her. “Very well, agreed.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

************

The atmosphere at Sanditon House the next day was still rather fraught. Edward had insisted on sticking around for the rest of the week, but Esther would not be joining him today. Instead, Lady Denham’s great-niece and current lodger, Clara had taken the day off, to spend time with her Aunt. Charlotte walked into Lady Denham’s makeshift bedroom and met Clara there.

“Oh hello Clara. I wasn’t expecting to see you in here,” Charlotte said.

“Good morning Charlotte. Yes, I thought I would take the day off to help you out a bit.”

“I am in no need of your help, Clara. Miss Heywood and Mrs Miller are more than capable,” Lady Denham protested, as she sat propped up in bed.

Clara smiled. “I have no doubt they are. Perhaps I just want to spend some time with you Aunt.”

Lady Denham huffed. “You, Esther, Edward… you’re all like vultures awaiting my demise.”

Charlotte was shocked by Lady Denham’s candid words.

“Aunt, really, how can you think so? You have had a major operation and we simply want to help aid your recovery.”

“You would aid it better if you all stayed away,” Lady Denham grumbled.

Clara sighed and rolled her eyes. “My Aunt is not a good patient, Charlotte.”

Charlotte smiled. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink, My Lady? Or would you like me to help you get up and dressed for a stroll around the gardens?”

Lady Denham sighed. “A walk, I think. I need to get out of this room.”

Charlotte helped Lady Denham wash and get dressed for the day and then sat her in the wheelchair to take her into the gardens, tucking a blanket around her legs, as the morning Autumn air was rather crisp, it being the end of September. Clara joined them.

“The roses are still doing well, I see,” Charlotte remarked, as they walked past the rose bed.

“The rose bed was planted under my husband’s instruction many years ago. He was very fond of this garden and was often out pottering around in it,” said Lady Denham. “He had green fingers, unlike myself.”

“I don’t believe that, given how good you are at caring for your orchids, My Lady,” Charlotte said.

“Ah yes, well, houseplant care is much different. And orchids do not need much attention, provided they are in the right spot.”

“I still think it is quite some achievement, given my own experience of trying to keep orchids alive!” Charlotte commented.

“My Aunt is quite the expert on that front,” Clara remarked.

“Both of you can stop with the cajoling, it’s giving me a headache,” said Lady Denham with a smirk and Charlotte and Clara shared a giggle.

They spent some time walking around the garden making small talk, until they came to a large pond. In the middle of the pond was an impressive three tier fountain, which had a pineapple at the top and they sat down at the edge of it, on a bench.

“Where is it you work, Clara?” Charlotte asked her, as they watched the water flowing over the fountain.

“At the Library. I’m mainly assigned to cataloguing the Non-Fiction Section. I’m a great History lover you see,” Clara said.

“Clara studied History for her Degree,” said Lady Denham.

“What time period is it in particular that interests you?” asked Charlotte

“Hmm… that’s a tough one. I did my dissertation on the early Victorian era,” said Clara. “The history of the British Royal Family fascinates me. I’ve discovered that the Denham family is distantly related to the Royal Bloodline.”

Lady Denham rolled her eyes. “Clara likes to amuse herself by looking into our Family Tree.”

“I do. I’ve traced back six generations of the Brereton Family Tree, and have now started on the Denhams.”

“She means to dig up a scandal,” remarked Lady Denham.

Clara chuckled. “Aunt, as you know, our family is not short on scandals.”

“Hmm… sometimes the past should stay in the past.”

Charlotte happened to agree with Lady Denham.

A figure started to walk towards them from the other side of the garden. “Ah, look, here’s Edward, come to see how you’re doing,” Clara remarked.

“Good morning Ladies,” Edward shouted, as he waved to them from across the garden.

“He would better have stayed at home. There is really no need for him to be here,” Lady Denham hissed.

Again, Charlotte agreed with Lady Denham. Edward’s presence was not assisting with her recovery, he was just making her irritated. More than that, he made Charlotte feel on edge ever since his last comment about her slacking: she felt he was always looking over his shoulder at her, checking she was hard at work. It was not a pleasant feeling.

“Mrs Miller said I would find you out here. How are you this morning Aunt?” Edward asked, as he got to them and gave his Aunt a kiss.

“I’m fine. There is no need to make such a fuss.”

“At least the operation has not dampened your spirits,” said Edward with a forced smile.

“We are expecting the Physio today, Ma’am, so we can start getting you more mobile,” Charlotte replied.

Lady Denham huffed in response. “Well, it’s about time. I need to be up on my feet for my Dinner Party in three weeks time.”

“It doesn’t seem particularly wise to be holding such an event, when you are still recovering, Aunt,” said Edward.

“Nonsense. I will be more than fine by then and I will not rearrange it. All the invitations have been sent out. It will be more hassle to reschedule, than to press on with it. At some point we will need to discuss what pieces you will play with Mr Parker, Miss Heywood.”

Charlotte found herself getting flushed by the mere mention of his name. “Oh… yes, of course,” She stuttered.

“I was thinking you could include some Samuel Coleridge Taylor. Perhaps prepare a selection of three or four pieces, we’ll need plenty of entertainment.”

“I’m sure we could accommodate that, but I will need to speak with Sidney.” Charlotte responded, a little taken aback that Lady Denham was aware of less recognised Composers....although there was definitely more recognition in recent years, with performers like The Chineke Orchestra...

“Make sure you do. I am getting cold. I’d like to go back inside now,” said Lady Denham.

“Certainly. Perhaps Clara and Edward can escort you back, while I see about getting us coffee.”

“Very well,” Lady Denham consented and Charlotte wandered back into the house.

*************

Sidney made his way from the Library to Trafalgar House on Wednesday evening, after a long day of piano lessons. He had slept fitfully the night before, unable to stop his mind from thinking about his encounter with Charlotte the previous day, and in particular, her lips, which he still had the strong urge to kiss, despite her not being in close proximity to him, and her expressive eyes which he could so easily get lost in. He was more attracted to her than he originally thought, and this realisation terrified him. Yes, he had been attracted to other women since Eliza had passed, but no-one with whom he was acquainted with, let alone someone he saw on a regular basis. That was Sidney’s rule (and it was an important one): to only hook up with women he was unlikely to see again. To even contemplate doing anything with a woman he would cross paths with in his day-to-day life would make things messy… really messy and he wasn’t ready for that yet.

When Sidney arrived at Trafalgar House, Mary invited him and the kids to stay for dinner, before making their way home.

“Is everything now sorted for the Tour, Sidney?” Mary asked, as they sat round the dinner table.

“Nearly. Just waiting on one more person to give me their deposit,” replied Sidney. “We finally managed to play _Ride of the Valkyries_ in the last Practice as well.”

“Wagner was a brave choice, Sidney. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea,” Tom remarked.

“Maybe not, but the score is genius.”

“I must admit, I struggle to listen to some of Wagner’s works. I can’t imagine trying to play some of it! It sounds very complex!” Mary remarked.

“It is. I thought at one point we may have to drop it, but thankfully my new Violinist came up trumps.”

“Oh, has someone new joined?” Mary asked.

Sidney began to feel a little flustered. He cleared his throat. “Yes. You’ve met her actually, it’s Charlotte, Jake’s Mum. Turns out she is a very talented musician,” he replied, quickly shovelling a spoonful of food into his mouth.

Mary smiled. “Oh it will be nice for Charlotte to get involved and get to know some more people. She really is a lovely girl and her little boy, Jake, is gorgeous..”

Sidney was grateful he had a mouthful of food and couldn’t respond.

“Charlotte… Is that Lady Denham’s new Companion?” Tom asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Sidney replied, now having swallowed his food.

“Bless her, we had a chat after School today and I think Lady Denham is giving everyone a bit of a hard time, as she recuperates from her operation. I don’t think it helps that Edward is down for the week, for he seems to be exasperating the situation,” said Mary.

“Edward is here?” Sidney asked, a deep frown appearing across his brow.

“Yes. And as you know, things between Edward and his Aunt have always been rather… difficult.”

Tom wasn’t saying anything, but he was staring into space for a moment. Mary looked over to him.

“Uh oh, I know that face Tom Parker,” Mary teased. “You’re plotting something.”

Tom snapped his head round to look at his wife and gave her a guilty smile. “Actually… I’ve just had the most wonderful idea.”

“And what’s that?” Sidney asked, rather dreading what Tom was going to tell him.

“A Christmas Concert.”

“What?”

“A Christmas Concert to raise funds for the Concert Hall,” Tom expanded.

“Tom…” Sidney began.

“Sidney, you said yourself, we need to look at other ways to raise money for it, well… here’s one way.”

“I doubt very much a Concert will make the money you need…” remarked Sidney.

“No… but we can use it to raise our profile and attract private investors,” Tom replied, his mind now going into overdrive. “It’ll be an opportunity to showcase Sanditon, set out the plans for the Concert Hall and then end with the Christmas Concert. Sidney… your friends, Monty and Luke will know who to invite… you must speak with them.”

“Steady on Tom. There’s a lot to think about before we talk to Babbers and Crowe. We’ll need a venue, Concert Programme, publicity…” Sidney said, for it sounded like a lot of hard work.

“Nothing that is unachievable in the time frame, Sidney. Think about it, you’ll have done the Tour by then and so you’ll have the time to focus and practice on some new festive pieces. And if we can attract some prestigious guests, then it will be great for the profile of your Orchestra. Perhaps you could even have a famous guest soloist or something.”

“Tom, such artists are often booked up months in advance and are an additional cost we do not need. There are musicians in the Orchestra who are more than capable,” Sidney said, his mind automatically thinking of Charlotte.

“Very well, you know best, but please, at least think about it and talk to your friends. They could really help us in planning something special.”

Sidney sighed heavily. “Fine. I will speak with them,” he conceded.

An hour later, Sidney and the kids made their way home. Once the kids were tucked up in bed, Sidney faffed about in the kitchen clearing up; stuck a wash on and then did an online food shop. As he did the chores, Tom’s idea about a Christmas Concert kept whizzing around in his head… The thing was, it wasn’t a bad idea at all… in fact it was a very good idea and now Tom had sown the seed, Sidney already had a list of potential pieces forming: Leroy Anderson’s _Sleigh Ride_ ; Prokofiev’s _Troika_ ; Excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s _Nutcracker Suite_ ; the _Home Alone_ score by John Williams; Howard Blake’s _The Snowman_ … There was no point in denying it, he was getting excited about the prospect.

Concluding he had been suitably persuaded to make this happen, Sidney took out his phone and dialled Monty Babington’s number…

********

It was Thursday evening and Charlotte was nervous about her second Orchestra Practice. She ended up checking at least half a dozen times that she had packed her booking form and deposit for the Tour, for the very last thing she wanted to do was to embarrass herself again in front of Sidney Parker. Like the previous week, Charlotte arrived a little early for the Rehearsal, having left Jake safe in Hannah’s capable hands (and after having confirmed with Hannah that she was happy to take an extra babysitting stint on Saturday night, so Charlotte could go on a long overdue night out). Having parked her Volvo in the School Car Park, Charlotte made her way to the Hall and when she got to the door, she hesitated slightly and took a deep breath, readying herself for the possibility that Sidney would put her on the spot again tonight.

Sidney looked up when he heard the door of the School Hall open and Charlotte walked in. He cursed in his head when he laid eyes on her, because his stomach had flipped and even though she wasn’t trying, the way she walked up to him was strangely seductive. Sidney didn’t say anything as she stopped in front of him, but put his hands in his pocket and leant against the piano (more casually than he actually felt) and waited for her to make the first move.

In her mind’s eye, the walk from the entrance to Sidney was akin to walking across hot coals, which Charlotte thought at any moment were going to burn her feet, for she was dreading having to talk to him. When she had entered the room, Sidney had his glasses on, as he inspected some music, but he had taken them off now and they lay balancing on the top of his head. It irked her that Sidney wearing a simple accessory (or should that be necessity?) could set her heart aflutter. His handsome face and his body language was already irritating her. It was a similar pose to the one he had in her audition, as if he was challenging her to impress him. Was it always going to be like this between them? Charlotte got within a metre of Sidney and he didn’t say a word, but looked at her expectantly.

“I’ve remembered my form and deposit today,” Charlotte said, handing it over to him.

Sidney slipped on his glasses again to inspect the documents briefly. “Good. Thanks,” he said simply. “Is your passport up to date?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Everything else you need is listed in the email I sent you,” Sidney replied.

“OK” Charlotte replied, averting her gaze from his, as an awkward silence descended. “I’ll go and help Warren and Rebecca set up,” she said, eager not to engage in further conversation with him. Sidney watched her walk away for a moment and sighed heavily. Part of him was thrilled that Charlotte was coming on Tour, because he had no doubt that her presence would be good for the confidence and proficiency of the First Violins, but he was also confused by the feelings she evoked in him, along with the atmosphere between them. He sighed heavily and then returned to his task of sorting out his music.

Ten minutes later and all the Orchestra members were sitting down in their places and ready to rehearse. Charlotte was a little unsure where to sit, as she had been tagged at the end of the First Violins for the last Rehearsal. She put her chair in the same place, next to Lydia who gave her a snooty look and then turned away from her. Charlotte rolled her eyes, for it was all rather petty.

“OK, settle down,” Sidney said, then looked towards the Strings Section. “Lydia, can you and Charlotte swap places please, you should be at the end.” Charlotte saw Lydia force a smile, and then they swapped seats. “Right - let’s tune up, here’s your note,” Sidney said, as he played an A on the piano.

Charlotte was now sat with Lydia on her right and another girl on her left, who looked a bit uncomfortable. She attempted to introduce herself.

“Hi. I’m Charlotte,” she said.

“Yes I know. I’m Marianne,” the girl replied, between tuning the strings of her violin.

Charlotte didn’t think Marianne’s initial response was very promising for their friendship… Perhaps the only way to get through tonight was to keep her head down and pray that Sidney would not single her out again and piss off the rest of the First Violins further.

“Right everyone, we’re going to start with Elgar’s _Nimrod_ tonight.” said Sidney as everyone started to rustle through their sheets of music to find the score. Charlotte had played this piece before and it was one of her favourites. She couldn’t wait to play it with a full Orchestra.

**[NOTE: You can listen to this piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8NOVGHJmRs]**

Sidney put on his glasses and then went to conduct them in. As soon they started playing the piece, Charlotte got the chills and the joy of playing with other musicians hit her again, so much so, that she almost forgot the tension between her and Sidney, and between her and the First Violins for that matter…

Sidney was particularly struck how well the Violins played this piece tonight and he couldn’t help but smile as they made their way through the score, because he thought he knew why: Charlotte’s presence really added something, something that had previously been missing and it was particularly noticeable in this piece, as it was led by the Strings. It had been a while since the sound of his Orchestra had given him goosebumps, but it did right now. Thank God Charlotte was coming on Tour with them!

The piece came to an end. “That sounded beautiful, well done, especially Violins, you got the dynamics spot on,” Sidney said, his eyes glancing over to the section and catching Charlotte’s. “Next, Faure’s _Pavane_. Remember, we do not want to drown Esther out when she plays the solo, so keep your eyes on me,” Sidney said, looking at everyone, his eyes finishing on Charlotte again.

**[NOTE: You can listen to this piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDoN40-_C4]**

Sidney counted in the Cello’s, Second Violins and Violas for the one bar Pizzicato Introduction and then Esther started her solo. Charlotte adored this composition, for it had a positively swoon-worthy melody, which was rather solemn, but also haunting and romantic. It was easy to see why this was sometimes chosen for wedding processions. Esther played the composition beautifully. It was nice to be able to listen to her showcase her talent. As they made their way through the piece and Charlotte was completely swept away in the music, as it seemed to flood her very soul, so that by the end of the piece, Charlotte had a wide smile on her face. She looked over to Esther and caught her eye and smiled, to let her know she thought she did well and Esther even offered her a slight smile in response.

“Good work everyone. You’re working hard tonight. Esther, well played. Let’s play _Peer Gynt Suites 1 and 2_ next.”

**[NOTE: You can listen to this piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gb2i-ei6Bw]**

Charlotte smiled again, knowing this piece was one of Lady Denham’s favourites, along with hers. She was beginning to think that hers and Sidney’s choices in music were rather similar…well, save for Wagner. She would not have picked _Ride of the Valkyries,_ but then perhaps that was because she was a violinist and Wagner was notorious for giving the Violins the most complex parts. The Orchestra sailed through the piece with ease and Charlotte could definitely feel a shift in the atmosphere from last week. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves more… or perhaps it was Sidney who was enjoying himself more, for he seemed much more relaxed and was giving out quite a few compliments, which was a direct contrast from last week!

The rest of the practice was a dream. They even revisited _Ride of the Valkyries_ and played it pretty much perfectly (much to everyone’s relief more than anything)! Sidney thought he was in music heaven. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the Orchestra play as well as they did tonight. It truly was a brilliant evening and he was buzzing with excitement. It was like he had finally rediscovered the joy of music, which had left him when Eliza had died and it was a really good feeling.

“OK, there we have it folks. Sounding great tonight. I’m really impressed. Well done. Can I remind everyone that I need your final payments for the Tour next week please. And Charlotte, before you run off, can I have a word? Thanks,” Sidney said.

Sidney’s request sent butterflies spiralling in Charlotte’s stomach. She nodded in response and then went to gather her music. Lydia went to speak to Sidney while she did so, and Charlotte just knew it was about her because Sidney glanced over in her direction a couple of times. Lydia had spent the whole Practice ignoring Charlotte again, but at least Marianne had spoken to her a couple of times between pieces. She decided to busy herself by helping put away the chairs and music stands and then when Sidney was free, she meandered over to him.

“Hi,” Sidney said.

“You wanted a word?” Charlotte said, a little stand-offishly, for she was nervous about what he was going to say.

“Er… Yes,” Sidney replied, noticing her defensive tone and stance and once again finding it incredibly alluring. He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to check that you’re OK to pay the balance for the Tour next week, as I know you’ve only just paid the deposit. I can give you an extra week to pay it if you need it?”

“Oh… right,” Charlotte replied, blushing and wondering if Sidney thought she was struggling financially. She wasn’t, but obviously she had to keep an eye on finances, now that she could no longer rely on her parent’s support. “It’s OK, I can get you the money next week.”

“Are you sure? Cos it won’t be a problem if it’s a week or so later…” Sidney asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him a little, not entirely sure about whether she should be offended by the gesture or not. “Yes. I’m sure. I have the money, you don’t need to worry.”

“Well, OK then,” Sidney said.

“OK then.” Charlotte responded, but continued to frown at him for a moment and then said. “Was _Peer Gynt_ Lady Denham’s request?”

Sidney wasn’t expecting this question. “Lady Denham’s request?”

“Yes. I know Greig is one of her favourite composers. I just wondered, because she is the Patron of the Orchestra, whether she requested it.”

“No, she didn’t. She doesn’t have much to do with the goings on with the Orchestra, save for appearing at Concerts. It’s easier that way,” Sidney replied.

“Yes, she is certainly a force to be reckoned with,” Charlotte acknowledged with a little smile. “She wants us to play some Duets at her Dinner Party by the way.”

Sidney groaned. “Fine. I’ll have a think about what we can play.”

“OK, but she has already requested some Samuel Coleridge Taylor, maybe _Deep River_ or _Cavatina_. And I was thinking perhaps Clara Schumann’s _Romances for Violin and Piano_.”

“Seems like it’s already sorted then,” said Sidney, studying her intently.

Charlotte shrugged. “Nothing is decided and Lady Denham wants three or four pieces. Perhaps we could also do your Composition, you know the one we played in my Audition?

Sidney frowned, not particularly comfortable with that suggestion, but Charlotte was avoiding his gaze, so she didn’t notice.

“And we’ll also need at least one Practice. Given it is only three weeks away, we should book something in soon. I suppose the Dinner Party’s not great timing, what with us going on Tour a couple of days afterwards, but Lady Denham is hard to say no to,” continued Charlotte, nervously tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

Still frowning slightly Sidney responded, “We’ll work with it. I’ll check my calendar and get back to you.”

Charlotte nodded. “OK.” Another weighted silence descended, but there was something else Charlotte wanted to ask. “So if Lady Denham doesn’t have a say in what the Orchestra plays, does that mean it is only you who chooses what pieces we should play?”

“Yes, that is the Music Director’s role, is it not?” Sidney said, wondering where the conversation was heading.

“Of course. But I was wondering if you would be open to some suggestions?” Charlotte asked, biting on her lip a little because she felt she was treading on eggshells around him.

The way Charlotte was drawing her lip between her teeth was very distracting. Sidney forced himself to look into her eyes, behind which he could see her nervousness and he quite liked the idea that he made her so. “What did you have in mind?” Sidney asked.

“Well… most people think that John Williams’ greatest work is the _Star Wars_ score, but I am a big fan of _Schindler’s List_.”

Sidney smiled at her suggestion. “Perhaps that is because it has a Violin solo?”

Charlotte smiled in return. “You mean, probably one of the most beautiful solos ever written for Violin,” she corrected, making Sidney chuckle. “And have you considered doing _The Planets Suite_ , by Holst? _Venus_ is a beautiful score in particular.”

“That it is. It’s on the list for future performances.”

Charlotte nodded. She wondered about mentioning female Composers, like Emilie Mayer, but decided to leave that for another occasion... “And… and what about your own Compositions? I’m guessing you must have written some for a full Orchestra and if that Composition we played together is anything to go by, then they must be pretty good,” Charlotte remarked.

Sidney didn’t really know how to respond. The boxful of his Concertos and Symphonies still lay in the loft, many of them unfinished. Save for the piece he and Charlotte played together in her audition, he hadn’t looked at them in years.

He cleared his throat. “There are none worth playing,” he replied, and then looked away from her as if to dismiss the subject.

Now it was Charlotte’s turn to frown at him. “OK, if you say so… but you told me not to hide away my talent, perhaps you should take your own advice and think about not doing the same.”

Sidney’s eyes glanced to hers, and this time held her gaze, unable to look away because she was so entrancing.

“I’ll see you around,” said Charlotte, a little confused, for Sidney’s eyes seemed to have gone dark and bewitching. Sidney nodded and Charlotte tore her eyes away from his and walked off.

Even though Charlotte had given him much food for thought, the thing filling Sidney’s head right now was just her, because her feisty and challenging manner with him had just increased his desire for her even more. He found himself unable to stop glancing at her bum, the perfect curves of which were accentuated by her tight skinny jeans. God, he was in so much trouble, as he felt his body start tingling with longing. This needed to stop. Whatever affect Charlotte was having on him had to stop and he knew what he had to do. He grabbed his phone and hit the call button, as he continued to watch Charlotte walk through the door and out of the Hall.

_“Twice in one week! To what do I owe the pleasure, Parker?”_

_“Hi Babbers. Just wondering if you’re free on Saturday? I need a night out.”_

_“Er… Yes, think so. Shall I see if Crowe’s free too?”_

_“Sure. I just need to check Mary and Tom can have the kids so you can crash at mine.”_

_“Is it not your usually monthly night off?”_

_“Er… No. But needs must.”_

_“Sounds serious.”_

_“It’s just been one of those weeks.”_

_“Alright. Well I’ll talk to Crowe and get back to you.”_

_“OK.”_

_“Bye.”_

_“Bye.”_

Sidney hung up the phone, feeling a bit more relieved, now a night out was on the cards. Now he just needed to do some grovelling to Mary and Tom…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary  
> Pizzicato: when the strings are played by plucking with the fingers, instead of using the bow.
> 
> Notes  
> Information about rhythms:  
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z4yh8xs/revision/6  
> https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/how-to/polyrhythms-all-you-need-to-know  
> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/arts/music/brahms-92y-ohlsson-mark-morris.html  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1AiCTJ9t8g
> 
> Samuel Coleridge Taylor:  
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/who-was-samuel-coleridge-taylor-what-famous-for/  
> https://donatocabrera.medium.com/the-music-plays-on-samuel-coleridge-taylor-d70e8a8d2771
> 
> The Chineke Orchestra: https://www.chineke.org/chineke-orchestra


	12. Tempo Rubato

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've ever written... You're going to want to set aside some time to read it RIGHT TO THE END ;-)
> 
> Follow #MinorKeyFic on Twitter for more interaction and discussion and the Sanditon Survival Book Club on Facebook
> 
> @CordeliaJane has created two playlists on Spotify for this story. Please do check them out!
> 
> \- Minor Key Fic (This incorporates the music mentioned in the story and includes extra too) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5AmWROaNmVuInvsuEHt3Hx?si=7gQxi7vfQ4mikV2g5zBn0g
> 
> \- Minor Key Love Fest (A Collection of Romantic Classical Music for Sidlotte)  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qXFJFRMstIWnf1CZCsuV4?si=-EGsdFsdSYmf54VjsdNm5Q

It had been a long time since Sidney had been in such need of a night out, and it had nothing to do with work, music or the pressure of being a single Dad, but instead everything to do with Charlotte Heywood. She was in his thoughts when he woke up and before he fell asleep, and he had even dreamed about her once this week! Although the details were a bit fuzzy, Sidney had dreamt that he and Charlotte were playing a duet on the stage at the Royal Albert Hall: No.2 of Sibelius’ Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, quite aptly named “Romance” and once they had finished the piece, he had stood up and leaned in to kiss her… and that’s when he had woken up, his heart pumping fast and his body on fire. It was completely ridiculous really, because Sidney had only had a handful of encounters with her, most of them lasting no longer than a few minutes, yet she seemed to have made an enduring impression on him. What had started as mere curiosity about Charlotte’s background and the absence of Jake’s Father, was now turning into a strong attraction. Sidney considered it a purely physical attraction, because of the way his body reacted when he thought of her. Therefore, to put Charlotte from his mind once and for all, he intended his night out with his good friends/wingmen Monty Babington and Luke Crowe, to consist of (a) drinking himself into oblivion; and/or (b) if luck would have it, going home with a stranger, for this was the only way he could see himself being able to get over it. 

To persuade Mary and Tom to swap his usual monthly night off, Sidney had suggested that Babington and Crowe came down from London a little earlier, to spend the Saturday afternoon with Tom to talk about the Concert Hall promotional event. Crowe and Babington were ideally placed to advise on the event, as they owned a marketing company ( _Tenor Entertainments_ ), the focus of which was the promotion of classical music events, but as this was quite niche, they also branched out to other music genres as well. They had a good reputation in the industry, and most importantly, they had a book of contacts, many of whom may be interested in investing in Tom’s Concert Hall Project. Sidney had met the duo in London when he was a student and building up his profile. As he became a regular commissioner of their services, the threesome had started to build up a good friendship, so much so that they were collectively known as “The Three Tenors” by those who knew them and they had even adopted their own theme tune: the Finale of Rossini’s _William Tell Overture._ Their friendship had only strengthened when Eliza had died. In fact, it had been Babbers and Crowe who had convinced Sidney to start the Sanditon Symphony Orchestra and they had also been helping him organise and get sponsorship for the Tour. 

Both Babington and Crowe were single, and not in any hurry to settle down, despite being a little older than Sidney, being in their mid thirties. That was what was good about going out with them because they had no ties, no commitments or strings attached and their situations and carefree attitudes felt free and unrestrained… and just what Sidney needed. He could go out with a clear conscience and without judgment. For one night only, Sidney could be anyone he wanted to be. Not that he wanted to forget his children or his late wife, but he could forget the stress and the pain that came with it. Tonight was different, however. Tonight he was going out to forget about her… the woman who had invaded his mind and his senses for the last few weeks. He was going out to forget about Charlotte Heywood.

The afternoon mind mapping session for the Concert Hall promotion event was very successful, and all four gentlemen came out of it very enthused about the prospect. Mary then cooked them all a wonderful dinner, before Sidney said good night to the kids and he, Babbers and Crowe went back to Sidney’s house to prepare for their night out on the town. The plan was for Babbers and Crowe to stay at Sidney’s, although whether or not they would actually spend the night there remained to be seen.

“So Sid, why the need for a night out at such short notice?” Babbers asked him, as they sat in Sidney’s living room, drinking bottles of lager as they prepared themselves for tonight’s shenanigans.

“Oh you know, work, kids… the usual,” Sidney replied, not willing to divulge the true reason, even to his close friends, because he knew they would just spend the rest of the night mocking him if he did. More than that, he felt that if he were to admit to his attraction to Charlotte out loud, that would cement it, and he wasn’t really in that place yet. He took a large swig of beer, hoping they wouldn’t ask anymore questions.

“Right,” Babbers said, looking at Sidney suspiciously.

“So, where are we headed?” Crowe asked.

“I thought of Harry's Bar first and then see where the night takes us,” replied Sidney.

“Good idea. Maybe we’ll see that blonde again,” Crowe said hopefully.

“You mean Clara Brereton?”

Crowe sniggered. “Was that her name? I can’t remember!”

“She’s in my Orchestra… plays the French Horn… works at the Library…”

“Oh yes, I vaguely recall you mentioning those things.”

“Well if you want to hook up with her again, perhaps you ought to remember her name,” Sidney smirked.

“Good point. If my memory serves me right, you didn’t go home with anyone last time, Parker.”

“No.”

“And what are your intentions tonight?” asked Babbers, with a glint in his eye.

Sidney smiled guiltily. “I am open to meeting someone, although only for the night.”

“I knew it - you need to get laid, that is why we’re here, to act as your wingmen! It’s like the good old days. The Three Tenors back in action again!” Babbers said.

“I would like to think I’m no longer in need of those particular services,” said Sidney, smirking.

“Then why are we here?” Crowe asked.

Sidney shrugged. “Look, I needed a night out with some friends. Yes, if I happen to leave with someone, then great, but I also wanted some drinking buddies. It’s no fun going out on your own.”

“True, but even when work and kids are getting on top of you, you’ve never brought forward your monthly night off before,” Babington said suspiciously. Sidney avoided his gaze and shrugged “There’s something you’re not telling us,” he pushed.

Sidney groaned internally, they obviously knew him too well! “It’s nothing,” he replied dismissively.

“It’s alright, Babbers, he’ll be telling us later once he’s had a few,” Crowe said, smirking. “We’ll make sure of it!”

Sidney rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Right, I'll just go to the loo and we can make a move,” he said, stood up and left the room.

Sidney went to the loo via his bedroom, to deposit his wedding ring on the bedside table. Hesitantly, he removed it from his finger. Yes, he was open to going home with someone tonight, but he had to admit that the whole one night stand thing did make him feel uneasy, even if he enjoyed it at the time. Yes, it would meet a physical need, but nothing could replace the intimacy he had experienced with Eliza: that between a husband and wife. A one night stand was a poor substitute to sex with someone you loved deeply. Doubts began to creep in as to whether this was a good idea or not… but they were going out now, so he might as well embrace it… and it still felt like he needed to have sex with a stranger, if he was going to forget the lustful thoughts he was having about Charlotte.

Twenty minutes later, the trio arrived at Harry’s Bar in the centre of Sanditon. It was a popular venue on a Saturday night and Sidney and his friends would often start here on a night out, before going onto somewhere different. They headed straight to the bar and ordered drinks and as they were waiting, looked around them to check out the clientele… and that’s when Sidney saw her and he felt his heart both sink and lift at the same time: Charlotte Heywood was here with some other female Orchestra members and she was looking jaw droppingly gorgeous in a little black dress, with her hair styled in neat curls around her face and her make up immaculate. Already, he could start feeling his body reacting to the sight of her and it made him shiver involuntarily. Was the universe actually out to get him? Didn’t it understand that the whole purpose of this night out was to forget about Charlotte f***ing Heywood and rid her from his mind? Charlotte looked over to the bar and spotted Sidney, her big doe like chocolate brown eyes widening, as she registered his presence and Sidney knew at once that this was not going to be the night he intended…

**************

Charlotte was so excited about going out, but there had been more than one dilemma in her preparations. First, she had a major panic on the Saturday afternoon, because she didn’t think she had anything to wear. However, after rummaging around in her wardrobe, she found a little black dress which she had worn in her student days… She didn’t think it likely that she would fit into it now, as her hips were definitely wider since having Jake, and her breasts less voluptuous, but she tried it on anyway and was pleasantly surprised that it still fit. Charlotte didn’t remember it being so short, but perhaps that was because she hadn’t worn a skirt or dress for years, preferring jeans, leggings and shorts. Along with the dress, she wore some sheer tights (for the Autumn night air was rather chilly) and some black stilettos. She hoped her feet would last the night in them.

The next dilemma was her hair, for she usually just washed it, added some moose and then let it dry, because it was naturally curly. However, she wanted to do something different, and therefore used the diffuser to create more well defined curls which she pinned back from her face on one side. It took quite a while to do, but she was pleased with the results. She also spent a lot more time on her make-up, deciding on a bright red lipstick to complete the look.

[ ](https://celebritysphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/rose-williams.jpg)

When Hannah arrived, she helped Charlotte put Jake to bed, and as they were doing so, Jake said to Charlotte. “You look really pretty Mummy, like a princess!”

Of all the compliments to get, this one meant the most and it melted Charlotte’s heart and she smiled widely at him. “Thank you sweetheart. Now be a good boy for Hannah and go straight to sleep OK?”

“Yes Mummy.”

“I love you. Sweet dreams,” she said, giving Jake a kiss on the forehead, and then wiping off the lipstick mark.

“I love you too Mummy.”

Ten minutes later and the doorbell rang. It was Georgiana calling on her, as the taxi had arrived. Charlotte turned to Hannah. “Now, I’ll have my phone on loud, so just call me if you need anything. And perhaps give me a text every hour or so to let me know how you’re doing, OK?”

“OK.”

“I’ll aim to be home by midnight. I’ve got some DVDs in the cupboard if you’re interested and feel free to browse Netflix. Oh, and you know where all the food and drink is…”

“Charlotte, I’ll be fine and Jake’s already asleep,” Hannah interrupted.

Charlotte nodded. “Yes. Sorry. I haven’t been out for a long time. I guess I’m a bit nervous.”

Hannah smiled. “If that’s the case, then make the most of it. I don’t mind it being a late one.”

“OK.”

“Have a good night!”

“Thanks. You too,” Charlotte said and then grabbed a coat and headed down the stairs and out of the apartment.

Georgiana was waiting for her outside her front door. Her mouth opened in surprise when Charlotte walked out. “Oh my God! Charlotte you look gorgeous!” she exclaimed, looking her up and down.

Charlotte halted halfway down the path. “Is it too much? Should I go and change?”

“Nuh uh, girl, it’s a great look on you. You are going to get all the men drooling!” she said, giggling.

“That is not the intention,” Charlotte replied, now feeling a little anxious.

Georgiana giggled. “Relax, Charlotte I am joking. Let’s go and have some fun.” Charlotte took a deep breath and started to walk towards the taxi.

“You look nice too,” Charlotte said, as they walked to the taxi. “Your hair is beautiful.”

“It took me all afternoon, but it was worth it,” Georgiana admitted, as she had braided all her black curly hair.

They got into the taxi which deposited them at Harry’s Bar. Esther, Clara and their friends Catherine and Benedicte were already there and had got a table. Introductions were made and drinks bought and Charlotte very quickly began to enjoy herself. The pitchers of cocktails were starting to make her tipsy (which was little wonder given she hadn’t drunk this sort of drink for years), the conversation and company was fun and she felt… free for the first time in ages… Until that was, she glanced and froze when she saw him: Sidney Parker, standing at the bar gazing back at her and looking so Goddamn handsome and sexy, that she almost forgot to breathe. He was wearing grey jeans coupled with a simple black shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up so she could see his forearms. Instantly a flashback filled her mind of the first time they had met when Sidney had held on to her with such strength to prevent her from falling backwards. Whilst she was too far away to see the well defined muscles, she wanted to, and the thought was rather arousing. What was he doing here? She hoped they could just say a quick hello and then ignore each other for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, however, Clara had other ideas…

_F***! F***! F***!_ Sidney thought. What was Charlotte doing here? Why had he not thought they could run into each other tonight? Had he just assumed that because Charlotte was a single mum she would be unlikely to go out on a Saturday night? Probably, albeit, subconsciously. This must be what Murphy’s Law meant, when everything went against you! Alarm bells were going off in his head…

“Sid - are you getting these?” Crowe said, next to Sidney, interrupting his train of thought. He tore his eyes away from Charlotte.

“Sure,” he said, getting out his card and paying, hoping he had ordered a double instead of a single vodka and coke, but he couldn’t remember. Transaction complete, he quickly took a few gulps of his drink, which burned his throat because of the large amount he was downing. Definitely a double. His eyes travelled back to Charlotte and the group of women who were laughing and drinking merrily. Just his luck - Clara was with them and if Luke should spot her….and right on cue...

“Hey - there’s that Clara girl.” said Crowe. His face lighting up with a grin.

 _Oh God!_ Sidney thought, beginning to panic. It was going from bad to worse. This was going to be torture...

“Do you know any of the women with her, Parker?” Babington said, his attention on the redhead in the group.

“Yes, some of them. They’re Orchestra members,” he admitted, trying to sound disinterested.

“Well… why don’t you introduce us?” Babington suggested.

“No.” Sidney snapped, his attention now on Babington. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because… because I’m on a night out to escape these people.”

“You are?” Babington asked curiously.

“You know what I mean. A night off is supposed to be an escape from my life!”

“Well you are out in Sanditon, so you will inevitably bump into people you know. You can’t escape everyone.” Babington said.

Sidney shook his head in irritation. He wished he’d thought of that…

“Oh look, they’ve spotted us,” Crowe said, as he nodded over to the table and raised his glass at them.

Sidney looked back over and his eyes met Charlotte’s again. From the looks of things she was not at all happy to see him, which was the complete opposite of what his body was telling him, for he was sure there were so many butterflies in his stomach that he was about to take off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clara beckon them over. He was not nearly drunk enough for this, but Crowe and Babington had already started to walk over to the table. Sidney had no choice, he took a deep breath and went with them grudgingly.

“Luke Crowe. Fancy seeing you here,” Clara said, smiling in greeting, as she stood up to give him a kiss on each cheek. “Sidney… and… sorry, I can’t remember your name,” she said, referring to Babington.

“It’s Monty. Monty Babington,” he replied, although his eyes were on the pretty redhead and not Clara, but her friend was deliberately avoiding his gaze. For some reason, Babington found this rather alluring.

“Monty, that was it. I don’t believe you’ve met any of my friends. This is Esther, Charlotte, Georgiana, Catherine and Benedicte. Everyone, you know Sidney, but this is Luke and Monty.” Clara said, introducing them.

The redhead, whose name Babington now knew was Esther, glanced at him and forced a smile. “Monty. That’s not a very common name.” She said rather drolly.

“No, I suppose it isn’t,” he said, not entirely sure how to reply to that comment.

“Why don’t you join us?” Clara suggested.

“We’d love to,” said Crowe, causing Sidney to whip his head towards him so fast he cricked his neck painfully. He tried to massage it discreetly cursing in his head because of the pain and the fact this evening was not going at all as planned. In fact, it couldn’t be worse.

The girls shimmied up on the benches and the boys squeezed on the ends. Monty ended up between Esther and Clara, Luke next to Clara on the end and, to Sidney’s dismay (or was it actually delight), he sat squeezed on the opposite side to Crowe, next to Charlotte, their arms and legs touching… which was absolute hell. He could even smell her fruity/floral scent, because she was so close to him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Sidney said to Charlotte, thinking he should start the conversation, to distract his thoughts away from the fact there was physical contact between them, even if it was through clothing.

“Ditto.” Charlotte replied, as she fiddled with her glass and looked away from him. “You remember Georgiana from School?” she said, leaning backwards, so Sidney could see Georgiana and clearly wishing for a third party to enter into the conversation.

“Molly’s Mum, yes?”

“That’s right,” Georgiana confirmed.

“So you both managed to escape parent duty for the night then?” Sidney asked, taking a big gulp from his drink, which he had now almost finished and he knew he would need another very quickly.

“Yup. First night out in years for both of us!” Georgiana admitted, and Sidney saw Charlotte blush in response. “I haven’t been to this bar for ages. It’s a lot classier than I remember.”

“It was refurbished a couple of years ago and it’s under different management,” confirmed Sidney.

“That must be it,” she said, and then was drawn into a conversation with the woman next to her.

Charlotte was still avoiding Sidney’s gaze. He cleared his throat. “We appear to be crashing your night out…” he acknowledged.

Charlotte finally turned to look at him and when her eyes met Sidney’s, his mouth went dry, at the effect of her sultry eye make-up and especially those red lips….so he had to take another swig of his drink (emptying his glass in the process). Now seeing her close up, she looked even more gorgeous than ever and he was suddenly afraid she could see right through him.

“You were invited to sit here, so I would hardly call it crashing.” Charlotte said, her eyes flicking to Clara, who was in an intimate discussion with Crowe.

“If it makes you feel any better, I did advise against us joining you.”

Charlotte frowned at him. “Why?”

Sidney shrugged. “You looked like you were on a Girls’ Night out.” Which was true, but he kept his real reason hidden. He could hardly say he wanted to avoid her.

“Well, we are, I suppose.” But then, Charlotte leant closer to him, causing Sidney to take a sharp intake of breath. Seeing her hair pinned back off her neck like that just ramped up the attraction he was feeling... “Although Clara doesn’t seem to want to stick with that idea,” she said, in a more hushed voice, before leaning back again and smiling at him and he somehow managed to smile shyly back in response.

“Do your friends live in Sanditon?” she asked.

“No. They live in London. They’re just down for the weekend.”

Charlotte nodded and looked back down to the table, and that’s when she clocked Sidney’s left hand holding his empty glass… and she noticed he did not have his wedding ring on. Sidney realised she had noticed and hastily withdrew his hand, putting it on his knee under the table… the knee which was pressing against Charlotte’s. It was beyond tempting to move his hand a mere inch to touch her, wondering if she was wearing tights or if, dear God help him, her legs were bare, but somehow he resisted the urge… probably because Charlotte was still avoiding his gaze and had a deep frown on her face. How was he going to explain the ring's absence to her if she asked him, without sounding like a complete douchebag? He started praying she wouldn’t…

Charlotte was not enjoying sitting in such close proximity to Sidney, for she was keenly aware that she was showing a lot more leg than she was normally comfortable showing and her sheer tights were brushing against his chinos. Sidney unsettled her. Charlotte wanted a night out to relax and have fun, but Sidney’s presence made that more difficult. And now she had observed that he was not wearing his wedding ring, and that made her wonder why. He was of course, perfectly entitled to take it off, but this was the first time she had seen him without it. Was it done on purpose or did he just forget to wear it? God, why was she even interested? She needed another drink.

“I’m going to get another drink. Anyone else want one?” Charlotte said in a loud voice, but no-one really heard her, as they were too busy talking to each other. She decided to get out of her seat, which was easier said than done. Sidney ended up having to stand up and move out of his seat, so she could get out.

“I’ll come with you.” Sidney said, also in desperate need of another drink, but then he quickly regretted the offer, for now Charlotte was standing up, he was able to fully take in the outfit she was wearing, she looked absolutely breathtaking, it showed off her incredible figure and in particular, the fact that she was showing a lot of leg… and as he had predicted, her legs were slender and silky looking from the sheer tights she was wearing. The whole effect was sending him into overdrive.

Clara noticed Charlotte and Sidney getting up. “Where are you two off to?”

“Drinks.” Charlotte said, not particularly happy about the fact Sidney was joining her to buy drinks, because she wanted to get away from him. “Want one?”

“Sure. Why don’t you get a couple of pitchers we can share? Hang on, I’ll give you some cash,” she said, then took out a £20 note from her purse and handed it over.

“Oh, and Parker, get me and Babbers a couple of drinks,” Crowe said, handing over his credit card, which Sidney took.

Charlotte glanced at Sidney and they made their way to the bar together. As they waited to be served, Charlotte felt like she ought to start conversation. “So… do you get to go out much, or is this a rare event?”

“I get out about once a month. Tom and Mary have the kids for me,” Sidney answered honestly.

“And is this one of your usual haunts?”

“Yes,” he replied. Charlotte nodded and bit her lip awkwardly. “What about you? Do you get out at all?” he asked, and then cursed in his head, for hadn’t Georgiana already answered that question for him.

“No. This is my first time out in Sanditon. In fact, I haven’t been out in so long, that I didn’t think I had anything appropriate to wear. Somehow, I managed to find this dress at the bottom of the wardrobe. Thankfully, it still fits, even after having had Jake,” she said, blushing and wondering why on earth she was sharing this information with him. “Not that you needed to know that…” she added, screwing her eyes up for a moment, thoroughly embarrassed. _Too much information Charlotte!_ she admonished herself.

Sidney smiled at her. “You don’t need to feel self-conscious about it. You look good,” he said, which was rather an understatement, because what he really wanted to say was she was utterly smoking hot.

Charlotte braved a look in his direction, the pink tinge in her cheeks deepening. “Thanks.”

Sidney was momentarily lost for words, but felt he needed to say something, so he quickly thought of a topic of conversation. “So, I’ve had a bit of a think about what we can play at Lady D’s Dinner Party.”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “OK…”

“I like the thought of Clara Schumann’s _Romances_ and Samuel Coleridge Taylor’s _Deep River_ , but I think we should also do Emilie Mayer’s _Notturno_ ,” said Sidney. Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly in response. “What, you don’t like that one?”

“No… it’s just… I was thinking of that piece too,” Charlotte said, as it had occurred to her after their conversation at the Practice.

Sidney smirked at her, but Charlotte still looked rather bemused. “Then we are in agreement?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“I suppose we’ll need to arrange at least one Rehearsal. You never did let me know what dates you could do…” Charlotte said.

Before Sidney could respond, the bartender came over and took their drinks orders. Charlotte couldn’t help but stare at Sidney’s ring finger again as he paid, using Crowe’s credit card and before she could think about what she was saying, she came out with: “Why didn’t you tell me you were widowed?” and then chastised herself for asking such a personal question.

“What?” Sidney asked. 

Oh well, there was no going back now. Charlotte took a deep breath. “When we were on the beach and I said I thought Mary was your wife… Why didn’t you tell me you were widowed?”

Sidney felt his heart rate starting to increase. He did not much like being put on the spot by her and he started to feel very uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I suppose it’s not something one openly talks to people about.”

Charlotte continued to look at him curiously. “No, I guess not.”

“How did you find out?”

“Jake.”

“Jake?”

“He told me… he told me Henry’s Mummy was in Heaven,” she said, looking away from him, feeling awkward. “You have adorable kids Sidney. I’m really sorry for what you all went through,” she said.

Sidney sighed a little frustratingly. “This is why I don’t tell people. I don’t want anyone’s pity.”

Charlotte frowned at him. “Is that why you’re not wearing your wedding ring tonight?”

Sidney felt his heart skip a beat, not entirely sure how to answer her question at first, but then for some reason he found himself answering honestly. “I guess so. When I go out, I can be whoever I want to be. I’m not ‘the Single Dad’ or ‘the Widower’. I don’t have to explain myself or my situation to anyone. For one night I’m just Sidney, nothing more, nothing less,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek, nervously anticipating her reaction.

Charlotte looked at him for a moment, but then said. “I get it.” For in truth, wasn’t Charlotte also trying to do that very same thing tonight as well? “Although, I suppose your plans are scuppered tonight, for you’ve ended up with a bunch of people who know you.”

Sidney let out a little chuckle, feeling relieved about her reaction. “So it seems.”

The pitchers and other drinks were now all ready to be taken over to the table. They gathered them all and brought them over.

“About bloody time!” Crowe said, a twinkle in his eye. Sidney rolled his eyes at him and handed out the drinks.

Sidney looked over at Babington who seemed to be mesmerised by Esther, but she had the usual look of disdain on her face. He couldn’t see his friend getting anywhere with her. Crowe and Clara, on the other hand, seemed to be getting a bit touchy feely, but that wasn’t really a surprise after the last time… With both his friends appearing to be enjoying themselves, Sidney was beginning to conclude that any attempt to get them away from the group would be pretty futile. What was worse, was that when Charlotte had gone to deposit a pitcher at the other end of the table, she had stayed there, so he was now left trying to make conversation with Crowe and Clara, when they clearly did not want him there as the third wheel. Even the constant flow of drinks wasn’t making the situation better and Charlotte did not return to her original seat, no doubt because she was avoiding him. He didn’t blame her.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of conversation, Sidney had had enough and demanded that they go on to a Club. He didn’t want to sit around having conversations with the Mums’ of his childrens’ friends or members of his Orchestra. This was supposed to be his night off and Goddamnit, he was determined to enjoy himself! And so, ten minutes later, the now group of nine made their way to a Club and as soon as they got there, Sidney escaped the group to relieve himself, fully intending to distance himself from them for the rest of the night…and hopefully get back on track with his original plan...

Charlotte was feeling very tipsy. It had been a long time since she had drunk so much alcohol. She was sure she was swaying all the way to the Club, and was grateful for Benedicte for literally holding her up on the way there. Once in the Club, Charlotte immediately went to the bar to get a pint of water. She didn’t want Hannah to see her so drunk when she returned in a couple of hours and she didn’t fancy a mega hangover in the morning, when she needed to take care of Jake.

“Well look who it is?!” a voice said close to her, making her jump and spill a bit of the water down herself. She wheeled around to face the voice’s owner and was not at all overjoyed at who it was.

“Edward?” Charlotte said, surprised to see him. He gave her a wide smile and then leaned in to give her a kiss on each cheek, which made her feel rather uncomfortable. She wanted to be more sober than she was to deal with him, and quickly gulped down some more water.

He leaned in to speak with her, putting his hand on her waist as he did so. “You’re looking very nice tonight.”She moved back a little, to evade his hold.

Charlotte forced a smile. “I thought you had gone back to London?” she asked politely.

Edward smiled and shook his head, took a step back toward her and replaced his hand, letting it remain firmly on her waist and leaned in again, even closer, his lips virtually grazing her ear. “I decided to head back tomorrow. Looks like I made the right decision.” He gazed into her eyes, she could see his expression had turned darker with desire for her.

Charlotte did not smile this time, but Edward still did not move his hand, so Charlotte reached down and removed it for him, wrapping her arms around herself and hoping he got the message, without her having to spell it out for him that she wasn’t interested.

Edward was not to be put off, however. “Why are you drinking water?” he asked. “I should buy you a proper drink.”

“No thank you.” Charlotte said firmly. “I’m good. I’m gonna go and find the girls.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said and Charlotte had no choice but to let him follow her.

When Sidney left the toilets, his eyes immediately seemed to seek out Charlotte and he saw her at the bar… with someone he was not expecting, and someone who immediately brought a bitter taste in his mouth. Edward Denham. And the worst part of all was that Edward had his hands on her (which deep down, was what Sidney would have liked to be doing) and it was like deja vu all over again. It took all Sidney’s strength not to walk up and thump him one. Instead he just watched as Edward followed Charlotte onto the dance floor, to join the rest of the group. Sidney did not rejoin them, deciding to stay at the other side of the Club where he attempted to distract himself by talking with other women. However, even if the women he was talking to were attractive, they just were not interesting to him. No, he only had eyes for one woman, the very one he had gone out tonight to forget, but that task was now impossible when she was here and looking so breathtakingly beautiful.

Resigned to his fate, Sidney spent a good hour away from the group, watching them (or Charlotte specifically) as he kept drinking, slowly getting more and more intoxicated. Charlotte seemed to be having a good time, at least she had a wide smile on her face as she was dancing with the other girls. She wasn’t the best of dancers, but she didn’t seem to care and it was still fascinating and alluring for him to watch her… until that was, Edward tried his luck with Charlotte again and started to get closer to her, grabbing her waist and leaning in close, although admittedly, Charlotte wasn’t encouraging him. At that point, filled with jealousy and feeling he might literally combust, Sidney decided he needed to get some air and quickly exited the club. Once outside, Sidney leaned on some railings and took some deep breaths of the cool Autumn air, willing it to help clear his head and rid it of the images of Edward with Charlotte.

Charlotte was having lots of fun in the Club. It was playing cheesy pop music from the Noughties, which although not her favourite genre of music, was a laugh to dance and sing to. She had not seen Sidney since leaving Harry’s Bar, but she wasn’t sorry for it, because she didn’t think she would be able to relax in his presence. However, when Edward started trying it on with her, Charlotte’s mood instantly plummeted. At first, she just politely kept removing his hands from her waist, but he kept persisting, so then she was firm with him and told him she wasn’t interested. Even so, he still wasn’t really listening, or perhaps he was just too drunk, so in the end she told him to piss off and then left to get some air.

However, when Charlotte walked out of the Club, she was dismayed to find Sidney had had the exact same idea. He was leaning over some railings with his back to her, but he hadn’t seen her yet, so she quickly spun around to head back into the Club…

“The ubiquitous Miss Heywood. Am I never to escape you?” said Sidney from behind her.

Charlotte froze. She really was not in the mood for this. A surge of anger filled her body and she clenched her fists. Why did he have to be so rude? Slowly, Charlotte turned round to face him. “Don’t worry, I was just leaving.”

“Now what would be the fun in that?” Sidney teased, a glint in his eye and smirk on his face.

Charlotte was, not for the first time, confused by his behaviour, but at least she thought she knew the reason why today. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk!” he protested, wishing he really was.

Charlotte squinted her eyes a little, as if assessing him and it made him chuckle. “Where have you been all evening anyway?”

“Hiding from you,” he replied, without thinking, which was actually an honest answer and probably the effect of the alcohol loosening his tongue.

Charlotte glared at him.“I’ll go then,” she said, about to walk away, but Sidney said with feeling:

“Yes, go back to Edward f***ing Denham!”

Charlotte took a step closer to him, her jaw set indignantly. “Actually, I came out here to escape Edward and instead I found you. Right now, I’m not sure which of you is worse.” Charlotte’s insult only made Sidney laugh and again she narrowed her eyes at him in frustration. “If you are trying to provoke me it is working!” she exclaimed.

“Good!” he replied simply, still chuckling. “Come on Heywood, do I really intimidate you so much that you can’t handle being left alone with me?”

“I am not at all intimidated by you. You just… confound me,” Charlotte said, as she walked up to the railings Sidney was leaning over and stood next to him.

As soon as she was near him, Sidney’s body started tingling and even though he knew it was dangerous to indulge in it, he wanted to keep her here with him a bit longer. “Confound you? How?”

“Because you are so hot and cold all the time. I can never tell which version of Sidney Parker I’m going to run into next.”

“Yes and we both know you have a habit of ‘ _running_ ’ into me…” Sidney said, smirking. Charlotte rolled her eyes at him in response. “So which one am I tonight? _Hot_ or cold?” he said, stepping slightly closer to her and emphasising the word ‘hot’, the influence of the alcohol in his system making him more flirtatious than usual.

Charlotte blushed. “Perhaps I should clarify that I am not referring to you being attractive when I say hot.”

“You find me attractive?”

Charlotte blushed even deeper and hoped Sidney couldn’t see the colour of her cheeks in the dark. “That is not what I said and you know it! I was merely trying to explain your confounding behaviour.”

“What do you mean then?”

“I mean that sometimes you can be warm, friendly and, dare I say it, even kind, but then other times, you are rude and insulting for no apparent reason. It’s rather exhausting to be honest,” Charlotte explained.

Sidney couldn’t help but smile. “You still haven’t told me which one I am tonight. Hot or cold?”

“I’m veering towards cold. I fully expect a tongue lashing from you before the night is up,” Charlotte said and it made Sidney chuckle. “So are you like this with everyone, or is it just me that seems to bear the brunt of your mood swings?” she asked, feeling a little more playful.

“You make me sound like a teenager!”

“That’s because you act like a teenager! At least around me,” Charlotte said.

Sidney’s look turned serious. “Maybe that’s the point,” he said.

His piercing look made Charlotte shiver. “What is?”

He leaned in even closer to her. “ _You_ **_make_** me act like that,” Sidney stated and then watched for the effect of his words, as her eyes widened and her lips parted in astonishment at his admission and he knew there and then that if he didn’t kiss her right now, he would regret it forever…

Charlotte felt her blood boil, even though she promised herself she wouldn’t let him get to her, he always did. “So your excuse for acting like a dick around me is because I **_make_** you? That’s so ridiculous! God you are something…” 

But before Charlotte could finish, Sidney’s hands came up to clasp her face and his lips came crashing onto hers cutting her off mid sentence. She stumbled back in surprise, but Sidney held her steady as their lips locked and he started to move his against hers and then everything disappeared… All reason, all rationality, any ill-feeling towards him vanished and Charlotte kissed him back clumsily and without abandon. Charlotte’s hands slowly moved up Sidney’s arms to draw herself closer to him, as the kiss deepened and their tongues danced together. Sidney’s lips on hers, his tongue exploring her mouth, his taste, his smell, his touch fanned a flame in Charlotte which was fast spreading like wildfire throughout her body. It was dangerous and passionate and it felt too good to let go of, but they were on a night out and they were drunk. A memory flashed in her head… she had been here before and she would not go there again. Charlotte suddenly broke off the kiss and stepped back away from Sidney as she tried to catch her breath and he did the same. They stared at one another, their eyes shining in the darkness, each of them a little confused about exactly what had just happened and why.

“F***!” Sidney breathed, as he stared into the eyes of the woman who had tormented his thoughts for weeks and whose lips he could still feel against his and who he desperately wanted to pull back into his arms and taste again.

Charlotte’s heart was racing and she was angry at herself. Angry for being so weak and giving in to Sidney so easily. This couldn’t happen again… could it? Her eyes flicked to Sidney’s lips and it was beyond tempting to kiss him again, but somehow she resisted. Instead, she took a deep breath, and without saying a word, hastily walked back into the Club.

Sidney watched Charlotte leave and he was hit by a strong wave of disappointment. He ran his fingers through his hair, torn as to whether to run after her and apologise for launching himself on her, or whether to just let her go. Perhaps it was cowardice, but he decided on the latter. God he was an idiot! Why did he always get it so disastrously wrong when it came to her? Did Charlotte have some sort of power over him that made him lose the ability to act reasonably and rationally? Or was he just more drunk than he thought he was? No, he concluded, what just happened was inevitable. Sidney had been trying to fight it for the last few days, but he had wanted to kiss her, almost from the first moment he had encountered her and now he had and it was like he had tasted both heaven and hell at the same time… and all he knew was that he wanted so desperately to hold her, caress her and kiss her again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Rubato: An instruction to play with freedom. Rubato allows performers to deviate from strict tempo regularity, and can enhance expressive playing. In essence, by 'stealing' time, or borrowing it, it should be contrasted with strict time, in a musically correct method of atonement.
> 
> Sibelius - Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, No 2: Romance  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okNiJHhMvd0
> 
> Rossini - William Tell Overture: Finale  
> 1) Orchestral Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbYCOiETx0  
> 2) Brass band Version from Brassed Off (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsGhI0oYA9I
> 
> Background on Rossini and William Tell  
> https://classicalexburns.com/2019/01/04/gioachino-rossini-william-tell-overture-galloping-to-success/
> 
> Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade (Arabian Nights( - Young Prince and Princess Theme  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KUFbRfK30
> 
> This article gives more background on Scheherzarade  
> https://www.classicfm.com/composers/rimsky-korsakov/guides/scheherazade-jane-jones/
> 
> Also - check out the logo @CordeliaJane created for Tenor Entertainments on twitter


	13. Maggiore

Pain and nausea hit Sidney with full force as he woke up the next morning. He didn’t move for a good ten minutes, because he feared moving may make him throw up. As the wave of sickness started to pass, Sidney started to figure out where he was and why he felt so terrible. Surprising himself by feeling somewhat relieved, he realised he had fallen asleep on his sofa, remembering he had offered his bed to Babington. Crowe, however, had not returned with them… Sidney suspected he had gone home with Clara. He would text him when he had the strength to find his phone. As Sidney continued to lie on the sofa feeling like death, the events of the night before started returning and one memory in particular made him suddenly sit up with a jolt, as he recalled the moment he had kissed her: He had kissed Charlotte Heywood… and as soon as he sat up, he had to run to the bathroom, where he presently emptied the contents of his stomach.

Once Sidney had vomited, he felt much better, even if his head was still throbbing and he still had his clothes on from the night before (now rather rumpled having slept in them), not to mention the fact there was a horrible taste in his mouth. So he brushed his teeth, took some paracetamol and hopped into the shower. Freshly showered and feeling a bit more human, he then snuck into his room to get some new clothes and retrieved his wedding ring from the bedside table. Babington was still fast asleep and didn’t stir as he moved about the room. Now fully clothed, Sidney checked his phone for messages, and sure enough, there was one from Crowe, letting him know he would be over very soon for breakfast. Sidney took the hint and started to prepare some greasy food, to cure everyone’s hangovers. As he did so, more memories of the previous night started to flood back to him and they nearly all involved Charlotte and how breathtakingly beautiful she had looked: the little black figure hugging dress she had been wearing; the red colour on her lips; the soft curls of her hair; the way she moved on the dance floor; the way he had kissed her… And the way Charlotte had kissed him back, at least, he was 99% sure she had, for the details were a little fuzzy. He closed his eyes, willing himself to remember. Yes… he was certain she had kissed him back and his heart started to pump faster, as he remembered the way their tongues had danced together… But his euphoria at remembering this little detail was quickly extinguished when he recollected what had happened after they had kissed, for Charlotte had walked away without a word.

Sidney hadn’t pursued Charlotte into the Club. He had stayed outside for quite a while after their encounter, wondering if maybe he had dreamt the whole kiss, for he’d dreamed of it before and he thought maybe the alcohol was confusing his dreams with reality. But the kiss was quickly proven to be in fact reality, when Sidney had re-entered the Club and gone into the toilets, for he had seen traces of her red lipstick around his lips when he had looked in the mirror. After that, Sidney decided to prop up the bar for the rest of the night, trying to drink away his feelings, which in retrospect, was an insane idea, because he knew his attempts would be futile. However, alcohol seemed like the only answer to his problems at the time and he had drunk a lot. Sidney vaguely recalled some other women were trying to talk to him and flirt, but eventually Babington had taken pity on him and dragged him back to his house. He hadn’t seen Charlotte again, even though his eyes constantly sought her out for the rest of the night. Sidney concluded that she must have left while he was sitting brooding at the bar. How was he going to face her again after what had happened between them? What must she think of him? And there were going to be plenty of occasions when they would need to spend time together coming up: a Playdate; rehearsing for Lady D’s Dinner Party; Orchestra Practices, School Runs; the Tour… It was going to be hell, he was sure of it.

The doorbell went as Sidney was mid thought and he went to let Luke in. He was looking very merry and Sidney felt a pang of jealousy, that Luke had had such a good night and he had not.

“Oh good, you’ve got the bacon on the go. I’m starving!” Luke exclaimed, as they meandered back to the kitchen. “Where’s Babbers?”

“Passed out in my room,” Sidney responded.

“He didn’t go home with the redhead then?”

“You mean Esther?”

“That’s the one,” Luke confirmed.

“No. He came home with me. I’m guessing you’ve been with Clara?”

Luke smirked. “Yes. Why didn’t you leave with that blonde?”

“What blonde?” Sidney asked.

“The one at the bar. She was definitely giving you all the right signals!” he winked.

Sidney thought for a moment. “Oh God, I remember! No, I wasn't interested,” he admitted

“Really? She was hot, not to mention your usual type” Luke remarked, giving him a piercing stare.

Thankfully, Sidney was saved from having to reply.

“Do you two have to be so loud!” Monty said, as he stumbled into the kitchen looking rather grey and holding his head. He helped himself to some pills and downed a glass of water. “No need to guess why you’re so perky this morning Luke.”

Luke just sniggered in response. “You know me, I was happy to take one for the team. What happened with the redhead?”

“Her name is Esther, as you know Crowe, and she is enchanting,” Monty replied, going all gooey eyed and smiling.

“F*** man, you’re lost!” Luke laughed.

“She was so delightfully disdainful.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone refer to Esther Denham as ‘enchanting’ or ‘delightful’ before,” Sidney remarked, making Monty laugh.

“But she didn’t want to hook up with you then?” Luke asked.

Monty shrugged. “Perhaps I’m interested in more than just a one time thing.”

Sidney dropped the spatula he was holding in shock and uttered a curse as he retrieved it from the floor and went to wash it up. “Of all the people to consider losing your single status to, Esther Denham really was the last person I would have guessed,” Sidney said.

“Why?”

“Because she is so droll and mirthless,” Luke answered for him.

“Exactly! I love it! I may have even persuaded her to go on a date with me,” Babbers replied, with a huge grin on his face.

“F***ing hell!” Sidney responded.

“So that’s two out of three of us who had a successful night then. Shame Sid came home disappointed,” Luke remarked.

Sidney didn’t respond, suddenly focussed intently on frying the bacon.

“Actually Parker, I didn’t see you much in the club. Where were you?” Monty asked.

“I was around, I just didn’t fancy dancing with people from my Orchestra, so I avoided the dance floor,” Sidney answered.

“Still, for someone who called us here for an emergency night out, it doesn’t look like it did the trick,” said Luke.

“Well, perhaps my Wingmen didn’t do their jobs properly,” Sidney replied, frustratedly.

“Hey - you said you didn’t need our services!” Luke said, chuckling.

Sidney sighed heavily. “Yes, well… it ended up not being the night out I intended.”

Monty and Luke looked at him suspiciously. “Perhaps you should tell us what’s really going on, Parker?” Monty replied.

Sidney shifted on his feet feeling agitated. Was he really that see through? “Nothing’s going on.”

“Bollocks! Come on, spill.” Luke urged.

“I am not telling you anything until I’ve had coffee,” Sidney said, indignantly.

“On it!” said Luke, as he walked over to Sidney’s coffee machine and started to sort out their drinks.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the breakfast table, having coffee and fried bacon and eggs with toast.

“Right Parker, out with it. What’s troubling you?” Monty asked.

Sidney took a deep breath. Admitting what was going on out loud, meant also admitting it to himself, but after what happened last night, he felt it was time to come to terms with it all. “I kissed someone last night. Someone I shouldn’t have.”

“You did? Who?” Luke asked with interest. “It wasn’t one of those women at the bar then?”

Sidney paused, not sure whether he should tell them about his crush or not, but they were his best friends and they had helped him through one of the worst times in his life. He would trust them with his life. “No… It was Charlotte,” he answered

“Charlotte? The short brunette in the little black dress?” Luke clarified.

Sidney found himself blushing. “Yes,” he confessed.

“Nice! She’s a good-looking girl!” Luke said, as he took a sip of coffee. “So what was the problem with kissing her?”

“Because I set myself a rule, never to hook up with a woman I’m likely to see again.”

“That rule can hardly work in a small town like Sanditon, Sid!” Luke said, chuckling.

“Perhaps…”

“Why are you beating yourself up about it, if it was just a kiss?” Monty asked.

“I don’t know… it’s just… complicated.”

Monty continued to study his friend, because he knew there was more to it. “You Like Her!” he stated.

“No!” Sidney retorted, far too quickly.

Monty smiled. “Yes you do, there’s no point in denying it to us, Sid, it’s written all over your face.”

Sidney frowned in response. Was he really that obvious?

“I think he’s in denial, Babbers,” said Luke, smirking. “It all makes sense to me now.”

Luke and Monty were right. Sidney had been trying to suppress his feelings, which he now realised had been building for weeks, but after that kiss, they were now impossible to deny. He swallowed before saying the words. “Fine. I admit it. I like her,” he almost whispered. God he’d said it, and now there was no taking it back. Confessing his feelings out loud was absolutely terrifying… and he was also hit with a wave of something else: Guilt.

Monty and Luke exchanged a glance. This had been the first time Sidney had admitted to liking someone since Eliza had died.

“Did she kiss you back?” Luke asked.

Sidney frowned. “Yes… but then she scarpered and I didn’t see her for the rest of the night. I think she must have gone home straight away.”

Luke sniggered, but Monty gave him a stern look. “Yeah, doesn’t really bode well does it? Who am I kidding?” Sidney said, having a swig of coffee.

“Is Charlotte the reason you wanted to go out?” Monty asked, as he was beginning to realise what was going on.

“Yes.”

“So you could have hooked up with her? Was that your plan?” Luke asked.

“No! I didn’t even know she’d be out, it never occurred to me she would be,”. Sidney said, feeling a bit stupid for making that assumption. “I was trying to… to… I dunno, forget about her, I suppose, get her out of my system,” said Sidney.

“By sleeping with someone else?”

Sidney shrugged. “I thought about it, but somewhat ironically, the night out had quite the opposite result to what I had planned.”

“So what happens next?” Luke asked.

“How the f*** should I know?” Sidney snapped.

Monty and Luke exchanged another look. Their friend was obviously conflicted about the whole thing, and who could blame him after losing Eliza.“You don’t have to feel guilty about it, Sid,” said Monty gently.

“But I do. I feel like I’m betraying her,” Sidney replied frustratingly, as he fiddled with his wedding ring, which was now back where it belonged.

“I know, but you’re not. Eliza wanted you to move on with your life. She wanted you to be happy. She wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone for the rest of your life and I don’t think you want that either really, not deep down.” Sidney chewed on the inside of his mouth. It was true. Eliza did want this for him, they had discussed it during her illness, which he had hated at the time because he didn’t want to consider whether he wanted to be alone forever with only his memories. It was quite an intense thought, which stirred up a lot of complex feelings. But in reality, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to move on with someone else yet. “I’m not sure I’m ready to move on.”

“Moving on doesn’t mean you have to forget her. There’s no harm in exploring things further.”

“God, I don’t know!” Sidney said, running his hands through his still damp hair.

Crowe couldn’t help but be a little amused by his friend. “Look, I admit I’m not really the right person to be giving advice of this nature, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you like this, Parker. This woman, Charlotte, must have really got under your skin. My advice… go for it, and try not to f*** it up!”

Sidney chuckled. “Helpful as always, thanks Luke.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You know, for once, I agree with Luke. It’s been over three years since Eliza died, Sid. Perhaps it’s time to take the leap?” Monty said.

“But it’s not that easy.”

“Are you worried about how everyone else would react, especially your children and Eliza’s family?” Babbers asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. Even if I did ‘take the leap’, it’s been so long since I’ve done this… I have no f***ing clue where to begin!”

Monty chuckled. “Maybe just spend some time getting to know her, that would be a good start.”

Sidney sighed. “Maybe, but it’s complicated. I’ve not exactly made the best first impression. I don’t really blame her for running away from me. Then there’s the fact she’s in my Orchestra… and…”He was about to mention the fact that she had a son, but Monty cut him off.

“These are just excuses, Sid. Try not to think too much about it and just get to know her. After all, if she kissed you back, then there must at least be some attraction on her part,” Monty argued.

“Yes. I suppose.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Ever the enthusiast, eh Parker?”

Sidney smiled shyly. “Right, enough about me. Babbers… tell us how on earth you managed to get Esther Denham to agree to go on a date with you,” Sidney said, eagerly changing the topic of conversation.

Monty sniggered… “Well…” he began.

************

Charlotte was woken up the next morning by the pitter patter of small feet in the hallway and then the door opening.

“Hi Mummy!” Jake said, bursting with energy, as always in the morning, as he came into her room and climbed into bed with her for his morning cuddle.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Charlotte replied, without opening her eyes, her voice hoarse from having to shout a lot at the Club.

“Are we having pancakes this morning?”

“Uh huh.”

“Can we have them now?” Jake asked.

Charlotte groaned internally. She so desperately wanted a lie-in this morning. “Just give Mummy a few minutes longer in bed,” she pleaded.

“But Mummy… I’m hungry!”

Charlotte sighed. “OK.” She forced her eyes open and glanced at the clock and groaned internally again. It was only 6.45am. This was another reason why she didn’t go out much, for she couldn’t handle the late nights and then early starts. Jake was always awake early every morning… “You can have some cereal in front of the TV, while Mummy tries to wake up.”

Charlotte dragged herself out of bed to switch on CBeebies for Jake and get him some cereal and a glass of milk. She also made herself a coffee and sank into the sofa, replaying the events of the night before in her mind. It had been a fun night overall… except for the kiss. Although even that, she had to admit had been good… more than good, actually. Yes, the kiss had been a little clumsy, for she was out of practice, but it had felt good to be kissed passionately like that and to be so desired… But this was Sidney Parker: the Musical Director of her Orchestra and the Dad of her son’s best friend… the guy who would insult her one minute and then kiss her the next… it didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. As Charlotte thought about the kiss, she felt her body react and she fidgeted about on the sofa, as she fought the spark that had ignited within her. It had been a long time since she had felt such intense fire or passion and it scared her. It scared her because the last time she had felt like that had been with Jake’s Father: A stupid drunken sexual encounter with someone she really shouldn’t have hooked up with, which resulted in her becoming pregnant with Jake… Was she about to make the same mistake again last night? Had she learnt nothing from her previous experiences?

Charlotte rubbed her head. Thankfully, she had had the sense to drink some water in the Club and had sobered up quite a bit before heading home, so she didn’t feel nauseous this morning. Her head was fuzzy though… probably a combination of the lack of sleep and the alcohol she had consumed. She eased herself up from the sofa, and went into the bedroom to retrieve some paracetamol and her phone. There were several messages from the girls. She knew they weren’t impressed with her for leaving early, but they didn’t have a four year old to look after today. Even Georgiana could be let off this morning, because she had Otis to help. Besides, after her encounter with Sidney, Charlotte found it difficult to enjoy herself on the dance floor (and she also wanted to avoid any further advances from Edward), so she had left within half an hour, which meant she arrived home by midnight as she had promised Hannah.

Even though Charlotte had pretty much gone straight to bed when she got home, it took her a couple of hours to drift off to sleep, for she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Sidney. She had dreamed about it too, waking up in the middle of the night, all hot and bothered, because she had dreamt she was kissing Sidney, but then he had changed into Jake’s Father… Charlotte didn’t want to compare the two of them, for in reality Sidney was nothing like Jake’s Father; his looks, his personality; his circumstances were very different, but she couldn’t help it, because after what had happened, she was wary and mistrustful of the opposite sex in general. At the end of the day, Charlotte hardly knew anything about Sidney and she had no idea if she could trust him or not. And for all she knew, Sidney just saw it as a drunken kiss. He had clearly been intoxicated, she didn’t think he would have been quite so irritating otherwise...I mean, saying it was her fault that he behaved like a teenager around her, how dumb was that?! But no, that’s all it was… wasn’t it? Yes, that’s all it was: A drunken kiss, for Sidney’s reaction afterwards confirmed that he had regretted it, and the fact he did made her feel surprisingly melancholy.

Charlotte sighed heavily, as she plonked herself back down into the sofa, feeling very confused. How was it going to be between them now? On Monday morning, would Sidney still stand on the opposite side of the playground and they would go back to barely acknowledging each other as usual? And what about Orchestra Practice? Or rehearsing for Lady Denham’s Dinner Party? They still hadn’t set a date to do that yet. And… oh God… a Playdate was on the cards soon too. Starting to panic, Charlotte closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. The next few days were going to be so awkward, she just knew it, and she had no idea how to begin a conversation with him about it. Perhaps he wouldn’t remember, he was drunk after all? Still feeling so confused, Charlotte concluded she would just have to grit her teeth and carry on as normal and hope the next few days passed by quickly. God, why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

***************

Having said farewell to Monty and Luke, Sidney went to collect Jenny and Henry from Mary and Tom’s after lunch. They enjoyed a couple of hours just the three of them on the beach and then headed home for dinner. After putting the kids to bed, Sidney felt restless, his mind still on Charlotte, in fact he wondered how he was going to be able to think of anything else ever again! Monty and Luke had given him a lot of food for thought, but he was still hesitant and there were many reasons why. Firstly, Sidney had no idea how Charlotte felt about him, but he suspected she was not as enamoured with him as he was with her, given her reaction after the kiss. The possibility of being rejected was almost as terrifying as admitting his feelings in the first place. Secondly, even if Eliza had wanted him to move on with someone else, he couldn’t shift the underlying feeling of guilt. In his heart, Eliza was still his wife. Was it possible for him to let someone else in there too? Thirdly, there was more than just himself to think about, there were his kids, and Jake too. Sidney didn’t know what had happened with Jake’s Father, but it was a complicating factor, especially as it appeared he had never been on the scene, which Sidney found inexplicable. How could any man not want to be part of his child’s life, irrespective of the relationship with the Mother? Unless, of course, he didn’t know about him, but if that was the case, then Charlotte must have had her reasons. And judging from Henry’s comments, Jake felt his Father’s absence very keenly. Was it fair to that little boy to get involved with his Mother? Even if he was just getting to know Charlotte, any relationship would impact their kids’ lives. And then there was the fact that they saw each other regularly. What if everything went pear shaped between them? Life would be awkward as hell, especially with the friendship between their sons. It was a huge conundrum.

And yet the thought of a future with Charlotte and merging their families was a wonderful thought. Sidney realised that he yearned deep down for a partner with whom he could raise his family and his children craved a Mother figure. Was Charlotte to be that person? And from what he’d seen of Jake, it wouldn’t be hard to develop affection for him too. But he was getting carried away, he hardly knew her after all, but he couldn’t help himself, for after that kiss, it felt for the first time since Eliza had died, that it was at least a possibility. Something had shifted inside him, and even if it was scary and he was apprehensive about it, there was also something else stirring: Hope. It was like his life had been playing in a _Minor Key_ since Eliza died, and now there was the possibility of a _Major Section_ on the horizon.

To distract himself from his thoughts, Sidney sat down at his Electric Piano, stuck in his headphones and started playing. He closed his eyes as his fingers started to hit the keys, not really thinking about what he was playing, but just letting the music take over… Sidney was a couple of minutes into playing a piece, when he realised what it was and his eyes flew back open and he lifted his fingers off the keys in surprise. He had been subconsciously playing a part of an unfinished Concerto, the last composition he had started before Eliza had died. His heart pumping loudly in his ears with excitement, he placed his fingers back on the keys and closed his eyes again. As if by magic, it came to him. It was like the melody had been hidden inside of him and it had finally come free. Not wishing to forget what he was playing, Sidney hit the Record button on the Piano and started playing it again. Within an hour, Sidney had completed the solo and he knew instantly what instrument it was to be played by: the Violin. It was a Violin Concerto… and there was only one person who he would want to perform it. Breathing hard, inspiration finally having taken hold of him, he got up from the Piano, went up the stairs and opened the door of the loft, to retrieve his box of unfinished compositions. Having brought it back down from the loft, he rooted through it to find the music he was looking for, and there it was: _Concerto in F Major_. Smiling widely he took out the music, and added the word ‘ _Violin_ ’ in front of the word ‘ _Concerto_ ’. He then grabbed his laptop and got to work inputting the music into Sibelius, his music notation software, thinking it was going to be a long night, but it would be worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of Terms
> 
> Maggiore - A term used mainly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to denote a change to the major tonality in a work or movement written predominantly in the minor key
> 
> Music Theory Corner! 
> 
> We touched on key signatures a few chapters back, so do refresh yourself if you need to, this the next part.  
> Major keys - tend to use sharps (#) Mood created is generally positive  
> Minor keys - tend to use flats (b) Mood created is generally more melancholy  
> Linked with key signature, so C Major (no # or b) is related to A Minor. D Major (2 #s) is related to B minor, basically you count back 3 places on the musical scale.
> 
> Bill Bailey does it brilliantly! Have a look at his Remarkable Guide to The Orchestra too (Youtube), just so entertaining!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IojqTwBj3Y&t=209s  
> Dark Nursery Rhymes played in a Minor Key (Bill Bailey)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHK3GNnkdqY&t=46s
> 
> This is an EXCELLENT resource for all your musical theory needs.  
> https://www.misswardmusic.com/harmony--tonality.html#
> 
> A piece of music has a base key, the musician sees this in the key signature, it can change during the composition, this is called MODULATION  
> We can go up a key, ie c to D, this generally is done for effect and build-up  
> We can change from major to minor or minor to major, using the connected keys, eg C Maj/A min or even C Maj/C Min  
> This changes the mood/emotion - examples of Classical Music for emotions  
> https://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/classical-music-teach-emotions/  
> https://insidetheorchestra.org/2020/04/08/music-for-different-moods/
> 
> This explains, using examples from pop music  
> https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/a-complete-guide-to-musical-modulation/  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IojqTwBj3Y&t=209s
> 
> Chords - it helps to know the base chords for each key, ie C Maj = CEG, called a TRIAD, basically notes 1/3/5 of the scale. This helps with managing Modulations.  
> We can also create more interesting chords by adding other notes, eg 7ths - CEGB or flatten the 7th CEGBb and also 4ths - CEFG or 2nds CDEG, this is how guitar chords work too, so C2 means CEG + D  
> Knowing the theory really helps, especially as a keyboard player, in terms of improvising.  
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8tsh39/revision/1
> 
> Composing - this was generally done using manuscript paper, with the stave of lines and pencil. However, technology had made it possible to compose without necessarily needing to do this yourself. Sidney uses Sibelius, which is a form of music software, which notates for you. Digital keyboards are amazing, you can record and then input to the software. It is also possible to change keys easily on various websites and download it, for example, when I am playing in church, I can use a different key to the other musicians and use the transpose button on the keyboard! Gets rid of those # and b, a guitar can also do this by using the Capo implement. 
> 
> Modern Composing  
> https://www.ingeniumacademy.com/what-does-being-a-composer-mean-today
> 
> Sibelius Software  
> https://www.avid.com/sibelius
> 
> Classical Tunes in the Minor Key  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z2uFWUHLng


	14. Diminished Interactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say a big thank you for all the comments and Kudos. We're completely blown away by how much you love this story and really appreciate the time you take to read it, and offer feedback too.
> 
> The Playlists continue to be updated, so glad they are being enjoyed!  
> Both on Spotify - Minor Key Fic and Minor Key Fic Love Fest

Somehow, Charlotte had successfully managed to avoid Sidney for the majority of the week. On Monday, she had resumed her usual place in the playground and out of the corner of her eye, she had seen Sidney take his spot on the opposite side. She had spent the whole time trying not to look in his direction, even though she had felt his eyes on her, the intensity of his gaze seeming to scorch her skin like the sun on a hot summer’s day, and as soon as Jake went into the classroom, she had practically run out of the playground, anxious not to get into a conversation with him. The same thing happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was now Thursday and Orchestra Practice was tonight, where Charlotte would be unable to run from him… and she was dreading it. They would have to talk, because Lady Denham’s Dinner Party was now only two weeks away and they needed to set a time to rehearse, and whilst Charlotte had Sidney’s number, as it was on the business card Lady Denham had given her some weeks ago, she had not had the courage to contact him. She knew it was a bit cowardly, but she didn't really know how to handle it because even though she had convinced herself it was just a drunken encounter, a small part of her wished that it was not the case. It didn't help that Charlotte was having recurring dreams about their kiss. She couldn't remember ever feeling that way before, whenever someone had kissed her romantically and definitely **_not_** with Jake's Father, although her memories were a bit hazy...

Charlotte successfully managed to escape Sidney again at the School Drop-off, after depositing Jake at School (who by now had stopped shedding tears each time, much to her relief) on the Thursday morning and then made her way to Sanditon House. It had been nearly two weeks since Lady Denham’s operation and it was amazing how much progress she had made in such a short time period. She was now able to walk around with a walking frame and this weekend, she intended to move back into her old bedroom. She had been practicing walking up the stairs under the instructions of the Physiotherapist, but she didn’t need the encouragement, for she was quite determined. Now that she was more mobile, Lady Denham’s attention was fixed on her Dinner Party and Charlotte was sent on various errands everyday in preparation. She didn’t mind, because being busy distracted her from her thoughts about Sidney Parker and in particular, that kiss, which kept haunting her dreams.

Another positive thing that happened was that Edward had returned to London after the weekend, having deemed his Aunt suitably recovered and in no longer in need of his attention. Charlotte was not sorry to see him go in the slightest for it had felt very uncomfortable to have him hit on her on her night out, for he was her employer’s nephew! He was also incredibly persistent and she didn’t like the fact he didn’t seem to take no for an answer. Her opinion of him was at an all time low and she really hoped their paths wouldn’t cross again any time soon. She was sure that if Edward had still been visiting Sanditon House, it would have been very awkward and the thought of Lady Denham seeing any inappropriate moments made her very anxious. She would hate to be in a position of having to leave her job because of it. In addition, Charlotte was still curious about what happened between Sidney and Edward. From the way Sidney had spoken, even if he was _‘under the influence’_ It was clear from the night out that there was some history between them that went well beyond a school boy rivalry. She kept wondering what it could be that had caused such hostility. She wished she weren’t so curious about it, but she couldn’t help it.

After a day of errands, and having collected Jake from School (and successfully avoiding Sidney in the process -luck was clearly on her side), Charlotte spent the rest of the afternoon trying to prepare herself mentally for Orchestra Practice. As she was making dinner, her phone buzzed and she went to open the message.

 **_Hannah:_ ** _Hi Charlotte. I’m so sorry, but I’ve come down with a stomach bug and so I can’t babysit tonight. Really sorry to let you down and cancel so last minute. X_

Charlotte didn’t know whether to be relieved that she couldn’t make the Practice or disappointed. Part of her wanted to go, so that she could get over the awkwardness she felt around Sidney, but the other part wasn’t ready for that yet. She quickly drafted a message back to Hannah.

 ** _Charlotte:_** _Sorry to hear you’re poorly. Please don’t worry about it. Rest up and take care x_

She had to get a message to Sidney next, which she was really not looking forward to doing. Whilst she had his number on his business card, she was too much of a coward to text him, because then he would have her number… although of course she had put it on her booking form for the Tour… hopefully he hadn’t remembered that. So Charlotte texted Esther instead and asked her to pass on the message…

 **_Charlotte:_ ** _Hey Esther. My babysitter’s sick, so I’m not able to come to Practice tonight. Please can you pass on the message to Sidney, as I don’t have his number. Thanks._

 **_Esther:_ ** _Sure. You may want to do some grovelling though, as he_ **_HATES_ ** _it when people miss Practice._

Charlotte grimaced when she received the text back - of course Sidney would hate it when people missed practice, but what was she to do? She fired a reply.

 **_Charlotte:_ ** _No, I expect he doesn’t._

 **_Esther:_ ** _His number’s this 07xxxxxxxxx for future reference. Do you want to text him yourself?_

 **_Charlotte:_ ** _(sighing) Not really. Can you just pass on the message please._

Charlotte crossed her fingers, hoping Esther would oblige.

 **_Esther:_ ** _???_

Charlotte gulped. She suspected Esther wouldn’t have let her get away with that response. She hadn’t told anyone what had happened between her and Sidney, because after everything that happened with Jake’s Father, she wasn’t one for sharing these things. Perhaps it might have been helpful to actually talk to someone about it, but the kiss had conjured up strong feelings of guilt and shame, even though the situation was so different from what had happened before. Charlotte composed a reply.

 **_Charlotte:_ ** _I’ll fill you in another time._

 **_Esther:_ ** _I’ll hold you to that._

 **_Charlotte:_ ** _Noted._

**************

It had been one of the most frustrating, yet also the most inspiring weeks of Sidney’s life. It was inspiring, because since sitting down to compose the solo for his Violin Concerto on Sunday evening, Sidney had managed to write the Strings, Woodwind and Percussion Sections of his Composition. He had worked on it solidly every evening this week, working well into the early hours of the morning, eager to finish it, so he could get Charlotte and his Orchestra to play it at the earliest opportunity. It was also frustrating, however, because he had seen Charlotte at School nearly every day since their kiss, but every time he tried to go and talk to her, she would seem to run away from him in the opposite direction. It felt like she was avoiding him! This surprised him, because she clearly was not a person who was shy or nervous about speaking her mind. At first, he felt bad about it, because she was obviously embarrassed, but as the week drew on, he got more and more irritated, especially because he couldn’t even call her, as he didn’t have her number, but Charlotte couldn’t run away from him forever. It was Orchestra Practice tonight and he was now at a point where he was quite determined to clear the air between them, whether she liked it or not! So when Charlotte hastily walked out of the gates on Thursday afternoon, having picked up Jake from School, Sidney tried not to let it get to him, hoping she would arrive early for the Rehearsal, so he could speak to her first: then the rest of the Practice may not be so awkward. And maybe, if he was lucky, she might agree to go out for a drink after a future Rehearsal, babysitter permitting of course.

However, when Sidney arrived at St Peter’s School later that evening, Charlotte did not appear at the time he was expecting her to. In fact, it got to 7.30pm, the start time for Practice and she still hadn’t appeared. The irritation he had struggled to contain all day was threatening to consume him by this point. He got all the instruments to tune up, as his eyes kept glancing at the door, waiting (and desperately hoping) for her to walk through it, but she never did. He also checked his phone, but there were no messages from her. Once everyone had tuned their instruments, he got them all to settle down and decided to bite the bullet and ask the question.

“Anyone know where Charlotte is?” Sidney asked, as his eyes lingered on the empty chair between Lydia (sitting on the end of the row in her role as Concertmaster) and Marianne.

“Oh, her babysitter’s sick,” Esther called out. “I forgot to mention it earlier, sorry,” she said, smiling sweetly at him.

Sidney’s eyes sought out Esther. “Her babysitter’s sick?” he clarified.

“Yes, that’s what she said in her text to me,” Esther confirmed.

“Right,” Sidney said, feeling that he was reaching the boiling point, in terms of his irritation. After Charlotte’s attempts at avoiding him all week, he very much doubted her babysitter was sick, but rather, it was just an excuse not to come tonight. In any case, why hadn’t she contacted him herself? Perhaps she didn’t have his number, like he didn’t have hers? …but she could have got it off Esther. Surely she could have made the effort?

“OK, Marianne, if you could get rid of that empty chair and Lydia can shuffle up. No point in having a gap between you,” Sidney said, not wanting to spend the whole evening fixating on Charlotte’s absence, which was emphasised by the empty place. “And while I’ve got all your attention, I wanted to pre warn you that we have got a Christmas gig. We’ll start rehearsing the new pieces after the Tour, but put the evening of 18th December in your calendars. Right, let’s play _Nimrod_ to warm up today,” Sidney said, as Marianne removed the chair.

The practice went OK, but not as good as last week and Sidney knew why. Even though Charlotte was one of over 60 musicians in the Orchestra, her absence was keenly missed, because she added something special, and also because she was a natural leader and the First Violins were lost without her, because she had given them confidence. Sidney found himself getting more and more frustrated with the musicians, as the practice progressed, for whilst they were playing the piece accurately, it just wasn’t quite working, that ‘magical’ quality that they had achieved the previous week with a certain Violinist present, was missing.He knew he was coming down hard on them all and letting his intense feelings about Charlotte affect his mood, but he couldn’t help it, because his emotions were all over the place. He ended the practice in a grump and requested everyone hand over the balance of their Tour payments. One by one they came up and gave it to him, the last person being Esther. She handed over her cheque and Sidney crossed her off the list.

“So, what’s up with you today?” Esther asked, looking at him with an arched eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Well last week, you were more complimentary than I’ve ever known you to be and today you’ve ripped us all to shreds,” Esther remarked.

“That’s because you weren’t as good this week.”

“Well… I suppose you’re the expert, but I didn’t notice that much of a difference,” Esther commented. “Perhaps _Ride of the Valkyries_ was a little off, but that’s probably because Charlotte wasn’t here.” She looked at him pointedly and Sidney began to feel a little pressured.

Sidney sighed. “The First Violins can’t seem to play that piece without her.”

Esther looked at him curiously. “Let’s hope Charlotte comes back next week then,” she said, very seriously.

Sidney felt his stomach drop. “You think she won’t come back?” he asked, a bit panicked.

Esther shrugged, still observing him closely. “I don’t know. She’s only been here a couple of weeks, hasn’t she? And you **did** embarrass her a lot at her first Practice,” she added.

“Someone with that sort of talent shouldn’t be embarrassed about being able to play a piece better than someone else,” Sidney maintained.

“Perhaps, but she’s only just moved here and is trying to put down roots. I don’t know. I hope she stays, but we’ll see. It’s a lot for a young woman to handle, in my opinion and then there’s my Aunt of course…"

Sidney frowned. “Has she said something to you?”

“You mean about whether she wants to leave the Orchestra, or something else?” Esther asked with a smirk.

Sidney was starting to feel uncomfortable. Did Charlotte confide in Esther about their kiss? He trusted Monty completely, he was sure he would never have mentioned it to Esther, assuming he was in contact with her… He cleared his throat. “The Orchestra, of course.”

“No. She hasn’t said anything about that,” Esther replied, clearly enjoying making him feel uncomfortable.

“OK… Well, I’ll try and talk to her tomorrow then, at the School Drop-off,” Sidney said, desperately wanting to know what the _‘something else’_ might have been, but feeling too disconcerted to ask.

“You do that,” Esther replied, looking very smug and pleased with herself, as she walked away.

Sidney picked up his music feeling really agitated. Impatiently, he shoved it into his bag and headed out to his car, before making the journey home, his mind working overdrive. He needed to talk to Charlotte as a matter of urgency and work this out. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave the Orchestra, especially when he had been writing a piece just for her. He would have to speak to her in the morning at School Drop-off and catch her before she ran off…

***************

The Friday morning drop-off started like any other drop-off. Georgiana and Charlotte walked to School together with the kids, stood in their usual place in the playground and then waited for Mr Stringer to come out of the classroom to collect the children. Jake skipped away happily, having spotted Henry, making Charlotte smile with relief that the difficult drop offs appeared to be behind them. As she was waving goodbye to Jake, Mr Stringer started approaching her and Georgiana made her excuses, smiling slyly at her as she slunk away.

“Miss Heywood,” Mr Stringer said cheerfully. “Are you still OK to help at the Bake Sale after School?”

“Yes, of course. Molly’s mum will be picking up Jake and taking him home, so I can stay to help without any distractions,” she replied, smiling back politely.

“Perfect. Thanks a lot. We’ll be setting up the other side of the School, but just join us when you can.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll see you later then.”

“Yes. Bye,” Charlotte replied, but as she turned to leave, she saw Sidney no more than two metres away from her and took a deep breath - she supposed it was too much to hope that she could avoid him forever.

Charlotte had not been in such close proximity to Sidney since Saturday night, and instantly she was struck by how handsome he was, even if he looked tired and a bit rugged in appearance. He was looking at her with a stern expression, his jaw set, his brows furrowed and she knew instantly that she was in deep trouble…

Sidney had watched Charlotte from across the playground, waiting for his opportunity to speak with her. However, seeing her being _‘all smiles’_ with Mr Stringer sparked something intense in him and brought all his frustrations to a head, making him see red. He purposely walked over as soon as she was free of Mr Stringer, determined to sort this out between them, and whilst he saw how flushed she became when she had spotted him, he was done worrying about her feeling awkward.

Taking a couple of steps closer to her, which made Charlotte’s stomach flip, Sidney asked gruffly. “How’s your babysitter?”

Charlotte swallowed uncomfortably, suddenly conscious of Sidney’s impressive height and stature which was in direct contrast to her petite frame and for all her assertions that she was not intimidated by him, right now she really was. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

Sidney shook his head and huffed exasperatedly. Charlotte’s breath hitched. She couldn’t do this right now, and her instinct to run away from her problems kicked in.

“I need to go,” she whispered, and started to walk hurriedly away from him.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…” Sidney said, as he ran after her, reaching for her arm as she spun around, his fingers brushing against her coat as she did so.

Charlotte’s chest was heaving with agitation. “What do you want, Sidney?”

“I know you’re avoiding me,” Sidney said, his expression intense.

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You think I made up my babysitter’s illness to miss Practice?” she retorted.

“I’ve considered it.”

“You are unbelievable!” she said, as she turned and started walking away from him again.

He jogged to keep up with her. “What am I supposed to think?” he hissed. “You’ve practically run away from me everyday this week.”

“I have not run away from you!” she denied, although she knew that was not true.

“Yes you have, and you are even doing it now!” Sidney maintained. “But missing Practice to avoid having to speak with me is a step too far.”

“Oh my God, Sidney, my babysitter was ill! Unlike you, I don’t have many options for childcare, especially so last minute. I can’t believe you actually think I would lie about the whole thing!”

“Do you still want to do it? Do you still want to be in the Orchestra?”

Charlotte stopped again and turned to face him, slowly getting more and more angry with him. “What the hell? Are you threatening to expel me because I missed a Practice?”

“No of course not… but I just thought…” Sidney tried to backtrack.

“Thought what, Sidney? I didn’t miss Practice because I was trying to avoid you. Even if things are awkward between us, I wouldn’t do that. And I wasn’t intending on quitting either, but you are not exactly making a good case for me to stay!” she exclaimed, then walked away again.

“Charlotte… Charlotte…” Sidney called after her. _F***!_ He thought as he ran to catch up with her. “I just want to talk to you for a minute,” he said, as he jogged alongside her, thinking she was a really quick walker.

“Well I do **not** want to talk to you right now!”

“I’m not going to let you walk off without hearing me out. You can’t keep avoiding me forever.” Charlotte ignored him and kept on walking. “Charlotte, can you please just stop for a moment,” Sidney pleaded.

The slight desperation in his voice persuaded Charlotte to stop and she sighed impatiently. They were now on the pavement just outside School. She folded her arms in front of her defensively and he could see from her eyes just how uncomfortable she was in his presence, but there was more in her eyes than simply that. There was anger… and something else… fear. Was she afraid of him? He suddenly began feeling really awful and ashamed about the unfair accusations he had made.

“Well?” she asked exasperatedly.

Sidney paused, not really sure what he was going to say, because even though he had rehearsed this conversation many times in his head, his mind had now gone blank, but his next words seemed like the best way to start. “I’m sorry…” he said, and then sighed heavily, for this was harder than he thought it was going to be. “I’m sorry for what happened on Saturday night. I shouldn’t have behaved like that.”He added, although he couldn’t truly regret kissing her.

Charlotte just stared at him, a frown appearing on her brow.

“And I’m sorry I accused you of missing Practice to avoid me just now, that was really stupid. I was just… I was angry at myself for making you feel so uncomfortable around me,” Sidney replied, admonishing himself internally for being so insecure. “But I’ve been wanting to talk to you all week, to clear the air between us and you’ve not made that easy.”

Charlotte looked down at her feet, clearly embarrassed. “Why didn’t you just call me?” she asked.

“I didn’t have your number, and I didn’t feel an email was the right approach.”

“My number was on my booking form for the Tour,” she said quietly.She wasn’t going to confess to having his business card.

 _Shit!_ Why didn’t he think of that? “Right. I forgot about that,” Sidney admitted, feeling like even more of an idiot. “But would you have answered even if I had called you?”

Charlotte bit her lip as she continued to avoid Sidney’s gaze. He wished she wouldn’t, for it drew attention to her plump lips and just made him want to kiss her again. At least he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol, so he could control himself this time.

Sidney continued. “I get why you’ve been avoiding me, but… but you were really missed at the Practice last night, Charlotte. You make everyone play better. The First Violins need you… the whole Orchestra needs you.… and I have a feeling that you need us as much as we need you. Please… please don’t quit because of what happened between us.”

Another silence followed until Charlotte said. “I am not going to quit the Orchestra. You’re right. I do need it, but my babysitter really was sick last night and I couldn’t come,” she said.

Sidney nodded. “OK,” he breathed with relief.

Charlotte sighed, feeling rather overwhelmed by the whole confrontation. “Look, I really need to get to work. Can we just agree that what happened on Saturday night was a moment of drunken stupidity and move on?” she asked.

Sidney felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest. He may have been under the influence of alcohol, but the kiss meant more to him than that, much more, but if that was the way she saw it…. He cleared his throat. “Right… OK,” he replied calmly, hoping the hurt in his voice didn’t come through.

As they stood still facing one another, Georgiana came up behind them and looked curiously between them.

“Charlotte, why are you still here?” she asked.

Charlotte turned to look at Georgiana, feeling a bit rattled by her sudden appearance. “Just catching up with Sidney about last night’s Rehearsal.”

“Right…” Georgiana replied, clearly unconvinced.

“Sorry, I really have to dash,” she said quickly and as lightly as possible and then looked back to Sidney. “Will you text me a time you want to practice for Lady Denham’s Dinner Party? It’s only two weeks away,” she asked him.

“Sure.”

“OK. See you later,” Charlotte replied, glancing at them both and hastily walked away towards her car.

Sidney watched her go, a deep frown on his face, feeling like that encounter had not cleared the air between them at all, at least not in the way he was intending. After a few seconds, he realised that Georgiana was still standing next to him with her baby in the buggy. She was smirking at him. Sidney ran his fingers through his hair, feeling rumbled. “Right, I’ve got to go too.”

“Have a nice day,” Georgiana said, grinning even wider.

Sidney felt his cheeks getting hotter. “You too. Bye.”

“Bye,” Georgiana replied and Sidney walked off.

***************

Charlotte’s request to treat their encounter as a moment of drunken stupidity kept playing on Sidney’s mind for the rest of the day. He could understand how she might have thought that’s all it was, but hadn’t she felt it? The spark between them? The passion? Or had he just imagined that because he had been inebriated? But if he had imagined it, then why did he feel such a strong urge to kiss her again? Still, he had at least come away with something good from their chat this morning - a reminder that he had Charlotte’s phone number, and so he retrieved her booking form, inputted the number into his phone, and then text her some dates for possible Practices of the Dinner Party pieces. He was teaching Piano Lessons at St Peter’s School today, but kept his phone on loud, in case he should receive a reply from her… but he didn’t. Sidney was so on edge about it, that every time his phone buzzed he would jump and have to check it, but it was never her… and pretty much always Tom! Some things just never changed…

When it was time to pick up the kids, Sidney walked over to his usual spot in the playground, his eyes darting around looking out for Charlotte, but she was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t even standing with Georgiana like she normally would be. Miss Beaufort led the class out today and saw that the children were reunited with their adults. Henry was one of the first out, as he excitedly bounded up to Sidney and told him about his day. Henry kept him engaged for a good couple of minutes, such that when Sidney looked up again, he had missed Jake being reunited with Charlotte and he couldn’t see them anywhere. Frustration building again, Sidney admitted defeat and went to collect Jenny, but as he went to the other side of the school, he saw her, standing behind a table selling cakes for the School Bake Sale, **with Mr Stringer** … And she was standing next to him looking relaxed (and gorgeous as usual)smiling at him, the way he had seen her smile at Mr Stringer before (and even this morning)… a smile that made her eyes sparkle such that Sidney was sure she was more beautiful than he remembered even from this morning. Charlotte had never smiled at him like that… but oh how desperately he wanted her to.

Sidney and Henry went to collect Jenny as he quickly concocted a plan in his head to talk to Charlotte. Jenny safely collected, he headed in the direction of the Cakes Table. Charlotte was still laughing and joking with Mr Stringer, but when she looked up and spotted him and their eyes met, she seemed surprised to see him and there was still a hint of embarrassment there too. Sidney’s eyes did not leave hers, as he walked towards the cake stall with his children - for now he had her gaze, he was not going to break it. They got to the table of cakes and stood right in front of Charlotte. He saw her swallow and he was sure he saw her eyes flick to his lips, if only for a millisecond and it felt like all the air had been drawn out of his lungs.

“Hey,” Sidney said, a little more gruffly than he would have liked, but he was finding it difficult to find any oxygen and breathe properly.

“Hi,” Charlotte whispered, a blush appearing on her cheeks, but she didn’t look away from him. “Do you want to buy some cakes?” she asked, finally tearing her eyes away from his and trying to ignore the tension between them.

“Please.”

He watched as Charlotte smiled at Jenny and Henry. “Which ones do you like the look of?”

“Please can I have the one with the pink icing Daddy?” Jenny asked sweetly.

“Sure.”

“I want the chocolate one,” Henry said, which was not a surprise..

Jenny frowned at him… “You forgot the **_Magic Word,_** _”_ she said...Henry made a face at her...Sidney sighed...

“Both very good choices,” Charlotte hastily interjected, as she picked up the cakes with tongs and put them each in a paper bag. “And is Daddy going to buy one too?” she asked, as she nervously raised her eyes to his.

Sidney smiled shyly at her. “Why not! Which one did you bake?”

“Oh, I didn’t. I’m a hopeless baker,” Charlotte responded, shyly smiling back.

Sidney smiled even wider, finding that snippet of information about her rather endearing. “Well, I’ll just take a chocolate cupcake then, please.”

“OK,” she said, as she bagged it and handed it over. “That’s £1.50 please.”

Sidney rooted around in his wallet and found a £5 note, which Charlotte took and then gave him his change. As she did so, her fingers brushed the palm of his hand. It was the lightest of touches, but it was enough to send an electric pulse surging through his body and he was sure she felt it too, because she had twitched slightly when they touched. He transferred the change into his wallet and put it back in his pocket.

“Did you get my text about a possible practice time?” Sidney asked her.

“Yes. Sorry, I’ve not had the chance to reply.”

“That’s OK. Just get back to me at the weekend.”

“I still owe you the balance for the Tour as well,” said Charlotte.

“Don’t worry, you can get it to me at the next Rehearsal.”

“Where’s Jake?” Henry asked, as he stood next to his Father.

“Oh, he went back to Molly’s house. We only live across from the road from her,” Charlotte replied.

“Can I go to Molly’s house too Daddy?” Henry asked excitedly. Sidney (not for the first time) wished his son was less shy about asking such direct questions...and it appeared his daughter agreed with him..

“You **don’t** have an invitation Henry! You can’t just invite yourself, you know!” Jenny admonished, making both Charlotte and Sidney smile. (Sidney reminded himself to have a word with her about being so bossy…)

“Not tonight, Champ, but perhaps Jake and his Mum would like to come for tea next Thursday?” Sidney asked nervously, hoping Charlotte would see the invitation as him extending an olive branch. He watched for her reaction and could see her going an even deeper shade of pink.

“Yes, can they Daddy?” Henry said excitedly.

“Of course. I think we promised some dinosaur and fairy pizzas, did we not?” Sidney said, smiling, his eyes still on Charlotte.

“That’s very kind of you. Jake will be thrilled about that,” Charlotte replied. Sidney noticed she did not say the same about herself, but he hoped she was just referring to Jake’s fondness for pizza.

“So… you are free next Thursday?” Sidney clarified.

“Yes, we are.”

“Great,” Sidney stated, and he meant it. Perhaps this would present him with an opportunity to redeem himself. “We’d better let you serve some other customers. Have a good weekend,” he said, offering her a soft smile.

“You too,” Charlotte responded, feeling very confused by the softness in his eyes and his voice, compared to their exchange earlier in the day. but maybe this was the influence his children had on him.

Sidney turned and walked away with Jenny and Henry and Charlotte’s eyes followed him for a short while, until she was approached by a new customer. She still didn’t really understand what was going on between them, but avoiding him had been utterly impossible, she realised it had been futile even trying and just heightened her apprehension. Still, that last encounter had given her hope that their next interactions could be as pleasant as the one they had just seemed to share…and although she tried to suppress it, that thought gave her a deep thrill inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all about misunderstandings and difficulties communicating, so we can look at the equivalent in music, which is called dissonance. Last time, we looked at how Major and Minor works and the concept of Chords, with the basic 3 note model, e.g. C-E-G and how we make it more interesting by adding other notes in. Some musicians (like me) absolutely love the sounds we can make by doing this, in particular this! A Diminished 7th Chord is my idea of Heaven... here's some more info...
> 
> BBC Bitesize GCSE Music - the entire section on Melody and also Harmony, which also incorporates Music History.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zn4pd6f/revision/1  
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zr2rt39/revision/1
> 
> And a visual guide: http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/40
> 
> So, what exactly is dissonance in music? It's when notes are combined that to our ears clash and need resolving to a Consonance. Composers in every era have pushed the boundaries of their time and when their world were premiered, received a less than rapturous reception - now we herald them as visionaries! In our current era, these names are most associated with pushing the levels of sound.
> 
> Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_F8adQqKLc
> 
> Gershwin - Preludes for Piano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_pfIk_DjQ
> 
> Schoenberg - Five Pieces for Orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh44fnjc_bc
> 
> And go back to Schumann - Ich kann's nicht fasten (Frauenliebe und Leben): http://youtube.com/watch?v=vct-GVPno40  
> Here is a translation: http://www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/552
> 
> And I just have to mention John Cage and 4'33  
> http://www.classical-music.com/features/works/what-is-the-point-of-john-cage-433/
> 
> This is useful material, not just this part, the entire course! http://earmaster.com/music-theory-online/ch05/chapter-5-3.html


	15. Andante Andante

Charlotte was still feeling off-balance following her conversations with Sidney, as she made her way home after the Bake Sale later that day. The walk back home was a bit of a blur (she couldn’t actually remember getting there) and she was in so much of a daze, that she ended up in front of her apartment, even putting the key in the lock, before she suddenly remembered that Jake was at Georgiana’s house. Sighing with exasperation and crossing the road, she headed over and rang the doorbell. Georgiana opened it, baby Sienna on her hip and let her into the house.

“How’s Jake been?” Charlotte asked.

“A sweetheart as usual. No trouble at all,” she replied, as Charlotte stepped into the house, took off her coat and hung it on the banister.

“Thanks for collecting him for me. I don’t think he would have stood still, while I helped at the Bake Sale!”

Georgiana grinned slyly. “And was it nice spending more time with **Mr Stringer**?” she said, winking at her.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “There is really nothing there, Georgiana.”

“No, I get that vibe,” Georgiana said, a bit too knowingly.

Charlotte was surprised at her friend’s words. “Does this mean that you’ve admitted defeat and will quit with your matchmaking objectives?”

“Not so much. I just know who I’m focusing my attention on now,” smirked Georgiana.

“Who?” Charlotte asked, as she felt her heart start to hammer in her chest with anxiety, anticipating the answer and she was right…

“Sidney Parker,” said Georgiana, triumphantly.

Charlotte’s eyes widened. It was as she feared, Georgiana suspected something. “Oh...Oh... no! she stammered.Definitely not!” she retorted, as she went a violent shade of red, which only confirmed her friend’s suspicions.

Georgiana giggled a little. “I knew it! Something’s happened between you, hasn’t it?” she said, fixing Charlotte with her best steely stare, the kind that Charlotte gave Jake sometimes.

Charlotte didn’t think she had ever felt so hot and bothered. “Wh..What makes you think that?” she said, trying but failing not to give anything away.

Now it was Georgiana’s turn to roll her eyes at Charlotte. “ **Everyone** at School saw you arguing at the School Drop off.”

“ **Everyone**?” Charlotte asked, her heart sinking, as another wave of anxiety hit her with force.

Georgiana nodded. “Did something happen last Saturday night?” she enquired.

Charlotte bit her lip. She wasn’t good at this, she would be rubbish at being a spy or anything like that. Did she admit to something happening? Maybe it was time to come clean, she needed to offload to someone and she felt as if she knew Georgiana quite well now. She nodded resignedly.

Georgiana gave Charlotte a satisfied look. “Right, we’re having a cup of tea and you’re telling me **everything** ,” she said stubbornly.

Charlotte groaned internally, but then thought again that perhaps it would be good to actually tell someone and get it off her chest, for she’d been keeping it to herself all week. Georgiana went into the kitchen to make the tea, while Charlotte said hello to Jake, who was playing in the lounge with Molly. She then reluctantly made her way to the kitchen, to speak with Georgiana, who handed her a cup of tea, as they sat round the breakfast table, baby Sienna in a highchair next to them, sucking on a rusk.

“Well?” Georgiana asked.

Charlotte held onto her mug and looked down into her tea to avoid Georgiana’s gaze. She was feeling embarrassed already and she’d not said anything yet! “Sidney kissed me,” she whispered, fully expecting Georgiana to shout out an expletive or something, but she didn’t.

“And did you kiss him back?” she asked.

“Yes… at least, at first…”

“At first?” Georgiana prompted.

Charlotte sighed and then braved a look in Georgiana’s direction. “I freaked out and ran away,” she admitted, expecting Georgiana to find this amusing, but again she surprised her and did not. Instead, she was actually frowning at her.

“Why did you freak out?” Georgiana asked.

“Because it was irresponsible of me! I have a son, I can’t just go around kissing random guys…”

“But this isn’t some random guy, Charlotte, I mean, come on, this is **Sidney**!” she said, arching her eyebrows at her. “I mean, most of us wouldn’t mind kissing him, you know!”

Charlotte cringed. “Exactly! That makes it worse! He’s the Musical Director of my Orchestra and he’s the Father of my son’s best friend. Things are awkward enough between us at the best of times, but now this… this makes it messy. What was I thinking?” Charlotte said, admonishing herself.

“Look, I get why you think that and obviously both of your situations are more complicated than most, but all relationships are messy to some degree. It doesn’t make it impossible,” insisted Georgiana.

Charlotte frowned at her, feeling confused. “I didn’t move here to start a relationship, Georgiana. It’s not even on my radar. And this incident with Sidney just proves to me that I’m not…” she sighed.

“Not what?”

“Not ready. I’ve only had a handful of relationships and flings with the opposite sex, and nearly all of them when I was a teenager, so nothing serious… God, I hadn’t even kissed someone for five years, and then this happens. If I can’t even handle a drunken kiss, how on earth can I deal with a relationship?”

“Is that all you think it was? A drunken kiss? Because you **did** kiss him back…” asked Georgiana.

“I was drunk! And he was too. My judgment was clouded by the alcohol and both of us weren’t thinking straight… I’m not even sure we like each other to be honest,” she said, trying to sound convincing.

Georgiana smiled gently at her. “Well, from the way Sidney was pursuing you this morning, it doesn’t look that way to me. I hardly think he would have made that much effort, if he wasn’t interested.”

“He was pursuing me because I missed Orchestra Practice last night. He was worried I was going to quit.” Charlotte insisted.

“And are you?” Georgiana asked.

“No. I mean, I don’t want to… but I confess I have thought about it.”

“Running away from your problems is never normally a good idea,” said Georgiana.

Charlotte looked at her guiltily. “I know… and I know I’ve been doing that for the past week, but I just couldn’t face him. I was embarrassed,” she confessed quietly, thinking to herself that actually, it wasn’t the first time she had reacted that way to a difficult situation.

Georgiana regarded her warmly. “Is that why you didn’t want to tell me?”

“Yes, I suppose. I thought you’d laugh at me about it… The 25 year old who gets freaked out by a kiss.”

“I’m sorry if you thought I would do that, but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself either. Obviously, I don’t know what happened with Jake’s Dad, but it’s clear to me it’s left a scar. But honestly, you shouldn’t just dismiss the idea of dating, or put your own life or your own happiness on hold. Yes you’ve got a kid, but that doesn’t mean you can’t even consider a relationship, I mean you’re still so young!” said Georgiana. “How did you leave it with Sidney?”

“We agreed it was just a moment of drunken stupidity and to move on from it.”

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “You said that to him?”

“Well yes, that’s what it was and he agreed with me.”

Georgiana shook her head disbelievingly. “He agreed with you?

“Yes.”

“God, you two are a nightmare!” she exclaimed.

Charlotte sighed. “We just don’t get on, or at least we don’t really understand each other. And now I’ve got a playdate with him next week...actually no, Jake does, with Henry... and I’m already anxious about it.”

Georgiana put her drink down on the table and reached over to give Charlotte a reassuring hug.

“Hey, try and relax, it might not be so bad. OK. I get that you’re nervous, but perhaps it would be good for you both to have the opportunity to talk and properly clear the air between you.”

Charlotte smiled at her gratefully. “Yes, perhaps you’re right,” she replied.

Georgiana smirked. “OK, one final question… I’ve just got to ask… How was it? The kiss?”

Charlotte blushed, but grinned coyly back. “Put it this way, he really showed me what I’ve been missing these past five years,” she replied and the two of them giggled together.

*********

Stolen glances across the playground were all Sidney allowed himself up until the Playdate. He didn’t want to say or do anything, which may put Charlotte off coming to the Playdate (conscious that when it came to her, his words never came out right), so he decided it best to give her space. He did, however, permit himself to send her a couple of texts, which had the benefit of him being able to take his time and think through what he wanted to say. Yet, even though there was this benefit, he found himself agonising over each one, pausing over the Send button to re-read it for what seemed like the hundredth time, before he actually hit Send… And then there was the endless wait (or so it seemed) for Charlotte’s reply, which was absolutely excruciating, so that when the phone finally buzzed and he got a reply, his hands would shake in trepidation as he opened the message. It wasn’t even that the texts were that interesting, it was just clarifying dates for Practices and the Pieces they were going to play, along with details for the Playdate, but he was just so damn nervous about cocking things up again, that the text communications made him on edge. And of course, more often than not, any text he did actually receive was an ‘urgent’ message from his brother.

So it was a big relief when Thursday finally came, even if he did still feel rather awkward, because it felt like the air hadn’t been cleared between them completely, following the kiss. He took up his usual position in the Playground and waited for Henry and the rest of his Class to be dismissed, but was surprised when Charlotte appeared. Instead of sticking to her normal spot in the Playground, she walked straight over to him. Sidney felt his whole body tremor with each step she got closer and he attempted a smile.

“Hi,” Charlotte said, looking equally as nervous as him.

“Hey.” Sidney croaked in response, for the sight of her made his mouth go dry.

A short and awkward silence followed. “I hope Jake hasn’t been too excitable today. He practically ran to school, I could barely keep up with him,” said Charlotte rather quickly, as she attempted to break the ice.

Sidney was relieved that she had started the conversation, for his mind had gone blank. “Henry was similar. He took all his dinosaurs out this morning, in readiness to play with Jake. I also have to warn you that Jenny is quite determined to show you **al** l her fairy toys.”

“It will be a welcome change from the dinosaurs and trucks. I know you’re not supposed to stereotype, but it’s all Jake’s interested in, and to be honest, I don’t know that much about either,” Charlotte explained.

“I can’t say I’m an expert myself, but I can pretty much recite all the lines from the Tinker Bell Movie. And I can virtually sing ‘Let It Go’ backwards!!” he joked.

Charlotte smiled, as she started to feel a little more at ease. “That’s quite an accomplishment. I haven’t seen the Tinker Bell Movie, although I have heard the Frozen song.”

“Don’t tell Jenny that, as she’ll insist we put it on the TV…”pleaded Sidney.

Charlotte smirked. “Maybe I **want** to see it?”

Sidney pulled a face, a little thrown by the unexpected teasing, but finding he enjoyed it. “Hmm… Well how about you watch it with Jenny and I’ll play dinosaurs with the boys then?”

“Sounds like a fair deal,” Charlotte agreed.

Mr Stringer came out with the Reception Class and as usual, Jake and Henry came out side by side, talking excitedly together. After being reunited with Charlotte and Sidney, they all walked round to the other side of the School, to pick up Jenny from her Year 2 class. When she came out, she was very enthusiastic about the prospect of showing Charlotte her bedroom, even grabbing her hand and skipping across the playground. As Sidney lived on the other side of town, Charlotte had decided to drive and had parked the car near the School. The families therefore made their way to Sidney’s place separately. A short drive later, Charlotte and Jake arrived outside the modest three bed semi-detached house. Both Henry and Jenny greeted them at the door, wide smiles on their faces and as soon as they stepped into the house, Jake and Henry ran off to see Henry’s dinosaurs and Jenny pounced on Charlotte and started pulling her upstairs immediately, to see her bedroom and all her fairiesShe hadn’t even managed to take her coat off!!

“Jenny, give Charlotte a moment, she’s only just arrived! Maybe you should ask her if she’d like a cup of tea first?” Sidney suggested, as they were halfway up the stairs.

“It’s alright, I’m happy to see the fairies, but tea would be great,” Charlotte replied, as she quickly took her coat off and hung it on the coat pegs, along with her bag.

“OK. Tea coming up. How do you take it?”

“Just with milk, thanks.”

“Come on Charlotte!” Jenny said, gesturing to her to follow her farther up the stairs.

Sidney and Charlotte shared a smile and Sidney went off to the kitchen to make the tea, while Charlotte followed Jenny up the stairs. As Charlotte ascended the stairs, she cast her eye over the photos hung up on the walls on the staircase. Feeling curious, she couldn’t help but stop at each one and look at them in more detail. The first photo was one of Jenny as a baby, being held by her mother on the beach, somewhere exotic on holiday. It was a photo that was full of contentment and happiness. The next was of Henry only a few days old, fast asleep on his mother’s chest. Charlotte smiled, remembering how Jake spent hours in that position in the early days, for he cried whenever she tried to put him down. The next photo was one of Jenny holding Henry, and then one of all four of them shortly after Henry was born. Such beautiful photos, which Charlotte found brought tears to her eyes, because it broke her heart to know what this family had gone through when Sidney’s Wife had died. And deep down, it also reminded her of what she and of course, Jake had missed out on, even though her family had been wonderful, but it did make her wonder what it would have been like to have had a supportive partner.

“Charlotte! In here!” Jenny called.

Charlotte tore her eyes away from the last photo and bounded up the remaining stairs to find Jenny. She stepped into her bedroom, which was painted purple and white. On the walls were stickers of flower fairies which matched the bedspread and curtains. Jenny had taken out some fairy dolls to show her and proceeded to explain the names and magical powers of each one. Then she excitedly told Charlotte about her gold fairy dust necklace, which she insisted had REAL fairy dust in it, which you could use to make you fly, but adding that it should only be used in emergencies. In addition, Jenny had a fairy costume which she decided to get dressed into and she had some spare fairy wings for Charlotte. Dressing up then gave Jenny the idea of wanting to put flower clips into Charlotte’s hair to go with the wings, so that by the time Sidney came up with a cup of tea, Jenny was having the time of her life playing hairdressers.

Sidney smiled widely at the beautiful image in front of him, as he walked into the bedroom. Charlotte was sat crossed legged on the floor, having her hair tended to by Jenny, fairy wings secured onto her back. It was an adorable sight and it made him quite nostalgic to think about what his daughter was missing out on.

“Daddy! Look what I’ve done to Charlotte’s hair! She’s a flower fairy. Doesn’t she look beautiful?” Jenny exclaimed excitedly. Charlotte put her hands out and twirled her hair to show it off, making Sidney smile even wider, if that was possible.

“Yes, she does,” Sidney agreed and he really meant it. Granted, Jenny’s hair styling left a lot to be desired, but ever since he’d met Charlotte, Sidney had thought that she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever met, however she wore her hair! Seeing Jenny playing with Charlotte and the delighted look on her face warmed his heart. Plus, it meant for once it wasn’t him suffering the flower clips!

“I’ve got your tea. I’ll stick it here,” Sidney said to Charlotte, putting it on top of the chest of drawers.

“Thanks,” Charlotte responded.

“The boys are requesting snacks. OK if I give them a packet of animal biscuits and some squash?”

“Sure, that’s fine,” Charlotte replied.

“Please can I have some biscuits Daddy?” Jenny asked.

“Of course,” replied Sidney.

Jenny started hurtling towards the door and down the stairs. Sidney called after her not to run, especially down the stairs.

“Wow - someone must really like animal biscuits!” Charlotte said, as she got up from the floor.

“My two are always starving when they come home from School.”

“Jake’s the same. I suppose they need the energy for all their learning,” she said, as she went to grab her tea from the dresser and take a sip.

“Hurry up, Daddy!” Jenny called loudly, from the bottom of the stairs.

Sidney rolled his eyes and smiled at Charlotte. “Coming.” he called back, as he and Charlotte made their way back downstairs to find the biscuits.

They sat the kids round the kitchen table to eat the snacks, which they seemed to devour in no time at all. Then, eager to get back and play, the kids returned to the Living Room, Jenny with them this time, which left Charlotte and Sidney alone in the kitchen.

“You don’t have to keep your hair like that, by the way,” Sidney commented, as he leant back against the kitchen counter, tea in hand.

“Oh, I kind of like it. Perhaps I’ll set a new trend? I think I’ll take the wings off though,” Charlotte replied, grinning as she took the fairy wings off her back.

Sidney chuckled. “My daughter has many talents, but I’m not sure hairstyling is one of them. It’s been nice for her to experiment on someone else though. She always complains that the clips won’t stay in my hair!” he said.

Charlotte giggled, as a mental picture of Sidney with hair clips in his curls flashed in her mind. “It was fun. Jenny’s very sweet.”

“She is, most of the time,” Sidney said, suddenly conscious of the fact they were alone together and it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. He decided to bite the bullet and start a more substantial conversation with her. “You know, even though our paths have crossed quite a bit, I don’t actually know that much about you, Charlotte,” he observed.

Charlotte blushed. “No… I suppose it didn’t help that we got off on the wrong foot.”

“No, probably not,” Sidney admitted. “So tell me, how did you end up in Sanditon?”

Feeling rather self-conscious, Charlotte avoided Sidney’s gaze when she replied. “I’d been living at home on my Parents’ Farm in Willingden, since Jake was born and it was time for a new adventure. To be honest, I needed to take the plunge and do this on my own.”

“Where’s Willingden?”

“About a two hour drive from here, in the middle of nowhere. My Parents have been so supportive since Jake was born, but it just started to get a bit much, particularly with all my siblings around too.”

“All your siblings?”

“Yes. I’m the eldest of five, although to be fair, only three out of the five of us still lived on the Farm before I left. At least my Parents gave me and Jake the Annex, so there was some degree of separation, but it was time to leave.”

“Why Sanditon though?”

“I’m not sure really. I’ve always wanted to live by the sea, the job at Sanditon House came up and I just thought, why not? I suppose that was rather a naive way of doing it really…” Charlotte mused.

Sidney regarded her closely. “And do you like it here?”

Charlotte slowly raised her eyes to his. “Yes. Yes, I like it a lot. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t enjoy living with the beach on their doorstep,” she replied and then said. “So, there is a question I’ve been wanting to ask you, actually.”

“Alright,” Sidney said.

Charlotte hesitated slightly. “What’s the real issue between you and Edward Denham? Because it’s clear there is something more than just a School Boy rivalry.”

Sidney was not expecting such a direct question and he frowned in response. He glanced to the door, checking that the kids weren’t about. “OK… If you must know… he tried it on with my Wife, Eliza, when we were engaged… and I… Well, I lost it and we ended up in a fight and Edward came out of it the worst. The Police had to be called and everything. Thankfully, I got off with a warning.”

“I see,” Charlotte said, a bit shocked, but after her experience with Edward, she could well believe him capable of such behaviour… and Sidney’s reaction for that matter, for it was clear he had a temper that he sometimes struggled to keep in check.

“Yeah… not my proudest moment,” Sidney said, as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Charlotte looked at him curiously. “Well, I’m sure he deserved it. I don’t like him at all, especially not after that night out,” she said, and then instantly wanted to take that last part back, for she didn’t feel comfortable reliving Saturday night with Sidney again.

“Yeah, he’s worse when he’s drunk… but then, I can hardly talk, given my own behaviour that night,” Sidney said guiltily.

Charlotte blushed, looked to the floor and took a sip of her tea, in an attempt to quash the anxiety she felt about talking about this subject.

It was clear to Sidney that Charlotte didn’t want to discuss this topic further and he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, especially not when he had been afforded with this chance to properly get to know her, so he said. “Now, my next question.”

Already feeling anxious, Sidney’s words further exasperated Charlotte’s nerves. “OK,” she whispered.

“How did you get so bloody good at the Violin?” he asked, with a smirk.

“Oh…” Charlotte said, as she breathed a sigh of relief, for she could answer this question. “Well, I come from a Musical Family, so I was encouraged to take it up at an early age and I fell in love with it. Most kids were being forced to sit and practice their instruments, but it was the complete opposite for me. Sometimes I would drive my family crazy, because I would play it all the time. Anyway, my teacher was very encouraging and I ended up racing through the Grades, eventually ending up at Music College. I haven’t played it as much since having Jake.”

“Is that why you joined the Orchestra, so you could play more often?”

“Partly, but mainly it was because I was worried if I didn’t at least audition, Lady Denham would fire me!” Charlotte said. Sidney chuckled. “She heard me play one day and insisted I contact you… but I realised as soon as we started playing in my first Practice, how much I missed it,” she said, taking another swig of tea. “Anyway, I’m sure that was two questions, so it must be my turn now.”

“Very well, go ahead,” said Sidney.

“Why don’t you like performing your own Compositions?” she asked.

“Ah… OK… Well, I sort of lost my love for Composing when Eliza died. In fact, until very recently I hadn’t written anything in years,” Sidney confessed.

“You’ve written something recently?” Charlotte said, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Sidney nodded shyly.

“Can I hear it?”

“Alright,” he replied nervously, as he went to pick up his laptop from the counter and put it on the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair, inviting Charlotte to sit down next to him and opened up the relevant file on the laptop, to reveal the music to his latest Composition.

Charlotte sat down and looked at it. “ _Violin Concerto in F Major_ ,” she read.

“Yeah… I finished it last night,” Sidney said.

Charlotte looked at the notes in front of her, attempting to work out the melody in her head, but she couldn’t concentrate very much, because Sidney was sitting so near to her, his close proximity seeming to radiate off a heat that made her skin tingle.

“So it’s not going to sound that great on the laptop,” Sidney replied, now feeling really nervous.

Charlotte smiled at him, finding his insecurity rather cute. “I’d still like to hear it.”

“OK, but it’s probably better through headphones,” he said, retrieving a pair, handing them over and plugging them into the computer.

Once the headphones were safely on Charlotte’s ears, Sidney hesitantly pressed the Play button and the computer started to play his Composition. At first, Charlotte tried to read the music on the computer as it played, but it was too difficult to follow each part, so instead she closed her eyes and just listened…

Sidney watched Charlotte as she listened to his Concerto, her eyes closed, her hands clasped round her mug of tea and Jenny’s hair clips still in her hair. He was fascinated by the way her eyebrows moved, as she concentrated on each section of the Piece and also the odd twitch of her lips, which shifted into a slight smile every so often, as if she were pleased at what she was hearing. In fact, Sidney was spending most of the time watching those lips, because when he looked at them, he could almost feel their softness and warmth against his and this in turn made him struggle to understand how Charlotte only saw their kiss as a drunken mistake. Would she ever let him kiss her again?

After a few minutes, Charlotte opened her eyes and Sidney quickly diverted his attention from her lips to her eyes. She paused the track and took off the headphones, as a smile started to spread across her face, lighting up her eyes and making them sparkle. The effect was hypnotising.

“Sidney…” she breathed. “It’s wonderful!”

Sidney smiled shyly in return. “Well, you’ve only heard a bit of it…”

Charlotte smirked. “I’ve heard enough to form an opinion.”

Sidney smiled even wider, remembering he had said the exact same thing to her at her Audition. “Fair enough,” he said.

“I mean it,” she said. “It has so many different elements -a beautiful melody, like in _Amy Beach’s Violin Compositions_ and _Mendelssohn_ too _,_ technically challenging, like _Bruch_ and _Paganini_ and there’s a haunting feel to it too, like _Saint-Saens_ and _Sibelius_ and overall, just exhilarating, like my favourite _Brahms Concerto”_ she finished breathlessly...and looked directly at him. “Are you going to get the Orchestra to play it?”

“I was thinking about it… but… but only if you will play the solo,” he said.

Charlotte took a sharp intake of breath. “No, I couldn’t. You should give it to Lydia.”

“I don’t want to give it to Lydia.”

“Why not?”

A serious and intense look crossed Sidney’s features. “Because she’s not as good as you. You are the best Violinist I’ve ever heard, Charlotte, and I only want you to play it, no-one else.”

Charlotte just stared at Sidney, as if she was frozen in time by some sort of spell, as she tried to take in his words, for even though he was talking about his Composition, the fervent timbre of his voice said there was more to it than that. How long she was frozen for, she didn’t know, but at some point she heard a pattering of feet running up to them and Jake, Henry and Jenny burst into the kitchen. At once, whatever spell his words had had on her was broken. “Daddy, we’re hungry. Can we have something else to eat?” Henry asked.

Sidney tore his eyes away from Charlotte’s, the tension between them threatening to send his body into spasm. “Perhaps a piece of fruit, but that’s it. We’ll start making Pizzas soon,” Sidney replied, as he got up to retrieve the fruit bowl.

“We’re making the Pizzas?” Charlotte clarified, sounding lighter than she felt.

“Yes, and you can share my fairy one if you like, Charlotte,” Jenny said excitedly, as she took an apple from the fruit bowl Sidney was passing round.

“Thank you, Jenny,” Charlotte replied, feeling intrigued, as she looked over to Sidney for some answers.

“It’s a bit of a cheat really. I buy the ready made Pizza dough and we cut it into the shapes we want, hence the dinosaur and fairy Pizzas, then we add the toppings.”

“That sounds like fun. What are your favourite toppings?” she asked Jenny.

“Red pepper and sweetcorn,” Jenny answered, before she took a bite of an apple.

Charlotte giggled. “Very healthy!”

“Have you got ham?” Jake asked.

Sidney smiled at him. “Yes, we have ham and pepperoni.”

“Yay!” Said Jake, jumping up and down, making everyone laugh.

“Can we watch some TV?” Henry mumbled, mid bite of a banana.

“Just for a bit,” Sidney replied and with that, the kids ran back into the Living Room.

Charlotte watched them go, still laughing to herself, before turning back to Sidney, whose expression had turned serious again. She stopped laughing at once.

“So will you play it? Will you play the solo?” he asked, his voice earnest.

“Yes, so long as you deal with the fall out with Lydia,” she replied, thinking that no-one had ever afforded her such an honour before.

“I can handle her,” said Sidney, as his whole body visibly relaxed. “Do you want another cuppa?” he asked.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “No, I’m good, thanks.”

“OK,” Sidney said, as he came to sit opposite her at the kitchen table, feeling this was safer than next to her. He took back his laptop, closed the lid and leaned over towards her. “So, I believe it’s my turn to ask the next question.”

“Very well. Hit me,” Charlotte said, still attempting to lighten the mood, but she was regretting having not taken up the offer of another cup of tea. Now, Sidney was sitting opposite her, she had nothing to hide behind and she felt rather exposed.

“You said you left Music College because you had Jake, but why didn’t you just defer for a year and then go back? I knew someone on my Course who did that and there was funding available for Nursery Places at the College,” Sidney asked.

Charlotte was flooded with a cold wave of anxiety. She had been asked this question countless times by her Parents, (in fact, they had got quite frustrated with her refusal to even consider it or transfer somewhere else even) but it was different with Sidney asking her.

“It’s complicated,” she replied, her voice trembling.

Sidney frowned at her, wondering if she was going to say more, but he saw in her eyes the same same thing he had seen last week… fear, although this time, it was accompanied with regret. He knew at once this had something to do with Jake’s Father and he was dying to ask her about it, but it didn’t feel right. He wondered if she could have transferred to a different College, although he supposed it wouldn’t have the same prestige, after all, The Royal College was very prestigious and it did help as a young performer to have that behind you. Instead he suggested, “They may still let you complete your Degree you know, if you wanted to go back?”

Charlotte shook her head. “It’s been too long. I quit over five years ago. Besides, all the performances and timetabling… it just wouldn’t work with Childcare. What would I need a Music Degree for anyway?”

“I guess it depends on what you want to do with your life.”

Charlotte looked at him feeling bemused. “Honestly, I don’t know anymore. I haven’t really thought about it since I had Jake, being a Mum sort of took over.”

“I get that, probably more than most.”

Charlotte smiled, grateful he didn’t seem to be prying any further into her reasons for leaving Music College, but also thankful that there was someone, at least on some level, who could really empathise with Single Parenthood. “I know I was young when I had Jake, but I never expected Motherhood to be quite so full on.”

Sidney looked at her sympathetically. “It’s easier when there's someone to share the load with. Not so much when it’s just you.”

“No… and you have double the trouble with two of them.”

“I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have my family nearby,” Sidney admitted.

“Is that why you moved here, after your Wife died?” Charlotte asked gently.

Sidney nodded. “Yes. Tom and Mary have been really great, and my younger brother and sister live here too and help out with babysitting.”

“Are they musical too?”

“A bit, but none of them considered it as a career path,” he said.

“Do you miss it? Being a professional musician?” Charlotte asked.

“Sometimes, but I’m happy here, at least most of the time.”

“I’m really glad you’re composing again. You have such a gift, Sidney… and… and I really think we should play your Composition at Lady Denham’s Dinner Party.”

Sidney sighed heavily. “Very well,” he conceded and Charlotte felt a little victorious. “You can still practice next week, can’t you?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Lady Denham is happy for me to take an extended lunch break if it’s for Dinner Party purposes,” Charlotte confirmed.

“Good. I’m really looking forward to playing with you again,” he said softly, his eyes exuding a tenderness that tugged at her heart and without even thinking, her gaze moved to his lips and thememory of their kiss flooded her mind: the passion with which he had kissed her; the flame he had fanned inside her; and the feel of his tongue caressing hers… Her whole body erupted in goosebumps. It was overwhelming and frightening, that just a simple look could have such an effect on her.

Now somewhat agitated, Charlotte stood up from her chair abruptly. “I’ll go and check on the kids,” she said.

Sidney stood up too. He’d noticed Charlotte looking at his lips and his heart was now thumping at an alarming rate, for was he desperate to kiss her again. “OK,” he responded. “I’ll start getting everything ready to make the Pizzas.”

Charlotte forced a smile and then left to find the Living Room, Sidney eyes following her as she went.

Henry and Jenny were sitting on the sofa watching CBeebies when Charlotte entered the room, but Jake was too bouncy to sit still, due to the novelty of being in someone else’s House. “Mummy, I want one of these!” Jake exclaimed, as Charlotte entered the Living Room. He was pointing to a Retro rocket-shaped Lava Lamp.

Charlotte smiled. She remembered having one of these as a child. Jake was completely mesmerised by it, watching the globs of pink liquid float up and down.

“That’s my Mummy’s Lava Lamp, Jake,” Jenny explained, as she came off the sofa and came over to it. “Daddy bought it for her when she was sick, to make her happy.”

Jenny’s words pierced Charlotte’s heart and made her curious as to whether there were any other objects which used to be Eliza’s in this room. For some reason, it seemed important that there should be. There were some more photos on the fireplace and Charlotte walked up to them. The largest was of Sidney and Eliza on their Wedding Day. She picked it up. They made a beautiful couple and looked so happy together.

“This is a lovely photo of your Mummy and Daddy, Jenny. You look a lot like her,” she said.

“Yes, I have her hair. And Daddy says I have her voice too.”

“Her voice?” Charlotte questioned.

Jenny nodded. “My Mummy was a Singer. Auntie Mary sometimes lets us watch her sing on her phone. Daddy won’t let us because it makes him sad,” she said rather matter of factly, but her words brought a lump to Charlotte’s throat.

“Mummy, Mummy - Look! This blob looks like sausage!” called Jake and Charlotte turned back and smiled at him. The children all giggled, as they watched the Lava Lamp a bit more, before deciding to forgo the TV and play with the dinosaurs.

Charlotte enjoyed spending some time playing with the three kids. Jenny, in particular, was very taken with her and kept stroking her hair and adjusting the hair clips every so often.As they were playing, Sidney watched them for a while from the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the play. Seeing Charlotte playing with his children gave him a real feeling of contentment.

About half an hour later, it was time to start making the Pizzas. Pizza making was a lot of funSidney had obviously cut Fairy and Dinosaur Pizzas before, because they really were works of art. Charlotte’s attempt at cutting out a Flower from her Pizza Dough, however (which she picked because she thought it would be fairly simple), was a complete disaster. There were a lot of giggles from all the kids and adults alike! After cutting out the dough and adding the toppings, Sidney put all the Pizzas in the oven and Charlotte helped clear up the mess and set the table for tea, while the kids washed their hands.

“I just know I’m in big trouble after this, because Jake is going to want to make these at home with me now,” Charlotte commented.

Sidney laughed. “Well, practice makes perfect.”

“There must be a T-Rex stencil I could use or something to make it a bit easier.”

“Maybe on Amazon.”

“Hmm… Oh well, hopefully mine will taste OK, even if it looks strange,” Charlotte mused.

“I can guarantee there will be no leftover Pizza at the end of dinner. My two have healthy appetites.”

“As does Jake. He pretty much eats me out of house and home,” said Charlotte.

“Mummy? Is it ready yet?” Jake said, as he re-entered the kitchen with Henry and Jenny behind him. Charlotte exchanged a look with Sidney.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” Charlotte replied.

“It’s still got a little while to cook, but while we wait, how would you like to play one of our favourite games?” Sidney asked Jake, as he wiped his hands on a towel.

“Which one Daddy?” Jenny asked excitedly.

“I was thinking… What Am I?” Sidney answered, looking at his children.

“Yes! I’ll go get it,” Henry said, running away into the Lounge, Jenny and Jake following.

Sidney started making his way to the Lounge after them, but then turned back to face Charlotte. “Come on, you have to play too.”

“OK…” Charlotte answered, intrigued.

Once they were all sitting on the floor in the Living Room, Sidney explained the game to Charlotte and Jake.

“OK. Everyone needs to wear one of these headbands,” he said, passing them all round. “And everyone has to pick one of these cards - don’t look at it - and put it in your headband so everyone else can see it, but you can’t.” Everyone picked a card and slotted it into their headband, Charlotte helped Jake with his. “Right, the aim of the game is to be the first person to guess what is on your card. To do this, you have to ask Yes/No questions to try and work out what your card is. For example, you may ask, “Am I an animal?” Or “Do I have the colour red? If the answer to your question is ‘Yes’, you get to ask another question. If it’s ‘No’, the next person has their turn. Usually the youngest player gets to ask first, which I’m guessing is you, Jake. Do you think you’d like to give it a go, or shall we do Henry first, so you can see how it’s done?”

“Henry first,” Jake said.

“OK. Henry… go ahead.”

The game began. Charlotte looked around at all the cards on people’s heads. It was a real mismatch of items. Henry had an apple, Jenny a daisy, Jake a dog and Sidney a house. Henry was really good at asking the right questions. They had obviously done this a lot of times before. Jake also cottoned onto the game quite quickly and soon Jenny had guessed what she was, quickly followed by Sidney, then Henry and Jake and Charlotte was the only one left. Her questions had determined that she was neither an animal, plant nor food. In fact, the only thing she knew was that she was red and she was struggling to come up with any more questions.

“Am I a vehicle?” Charlotte asked, thinking perhaps she was a fire engine.

“No,” the children giggled.

“Am I something that’s make believe?” she said, looking at Sidney despairingly. He was grinning at her.

“No!”

“Gosh, this is really hard. You’re going to have to give me some clues.”

“You’re a body part,” Jake said.

“No, Jake!” Jenny exclaimed. “You shouldn’t help her, it’s against the rules!”

“Jenny, don’t be rude to our guest please,” Sidney said sternly.

“A body part? Wow - I was not expecting that. OK, a red body part…” Charlotte mused. “Am I a mouth?”

“No!”

“Lips?” she asked more quietly, as she glanced in Sidney’s direction, for she could feel his eyes on her and she instantly found herself getting flushed.

“No!”

Charlotte sighed. This was impossible and it was ridiculous how an innocent children’s game was making her heart beat so violently… And then it clicked. “Oh… heart?”

“Yes!” All the kids screamed and Sidney too.

Charlotte laughed and took off her headband and looked at the card. It wasn’t actually the picture of a human heart, but a red heart shape. There was no way she would have got that without Jake’s clue.

“Right guys, please can you put this away, while I serve up the Pizzas,” Sidney said, as he got up off the floor and headed to the kitchen.

Charlotte helped the kids tidy up the game and then they traipsed into the kitchen, where Sidney had put the Pizzas on the table. Jake was completely in awe of his T-Rex Pizza and couldn’t wait to dig in. Charlotte’s Flower was just an embarrassment and she was glad when Sidney cut it up. Sidney and Charlotte perched on the end of the table opposite each other, while the kids started eating and he offered her a slice.

“Thanks. I can’t believe how hard that game was!” Charlotte commented.

Sidney chuckled again. “To be fair, your card was particularly tricky.”

“Hmm… Are you sure you didn’t give it to me on purpose? I know how you like to embarrass me,” she smirked.

Sidney pulled a face, as if pretending he was mortified at the accusation. “I am offended that you would think that of me, Charlotte! I would **never** seek to embarrass a guest in my house!”

Charlotte looked at him suspiciously. “I’m not convinced. You even got me cooking, which, as you can now tell, is not my forte.”

“You may not be able to cut a Pizza into a Flower shape, but it tastes good,” he said, taking a bite of his slice of Pizza.

Charlotte took a bite too. “You’re right, it does taste good,” she agreed between mouthfuls.

“So you are coming to Practice tonight, yes?” Sidney asked, a little cheekily.

“I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve embarrassed myself enough today,” Charlotte teased.

“What if I promised not to embarrass you tonight. Would you come then?”

“I’ll think about it,” Charlotte replied, in what Sidney considered a rather seductive manner, as she took a sip from her drink of squash and Sidney knew right then, that he was completely under her power.

Smiling, he said. “Well, you can only have the Solo for my Concerto, if you have an impeccable attendance record.”

“But what if my babysitter’s ill?” Charlotte replied, smiling herself. “Or perhaps it’s a bit too soon for that sort of joke,” she added.

“Oh, I don’t know. We agreed to move on, didn’t we? Might as well try and laugh about it!” Sidney responded, looking at her questionably, wondering if this was going to be the turning point between them he’d been hoping for.

“I agree. It would be good for things not to be so awkward between us,” said Charlotte.

“Well that’s settled then,” Sidney replied. “We laugh about it and move on. No more awkwardness at all.”

“No… none whatsoever,” Charlotte said and they both grinned.

“Can I have another slice?” Jake said, bursting their bubble.

Both Sidney and Charlotte giggled. “Sure, here you go,” Sidney said, offering him the plate and him taking a slice.

Soon after tea, it was time for Charlotte and Jake to leave. Jake was not at all keen to go and was very near to having a full blown tantrum about it, until Sidney intervened. Charlotte had no idea how he did it, but after talking with him for a couple of minutes, Jake had a smile on his face and got his shoes and coat on happily, so she was able to put on her coat and collect her bag.

“Whatever you did just then, thank you. You’ll have to share your tactics with me,” Charlotte said.

Sidney shrugged. “I didn’t really do anything, just talked to him.”

“But he responds to you. I noticed it that time in the playground. You have a… a knack with him. So thank you. And thanks so much for such a lovely afternoon. You’ll have to come to our place soon. I expect Jake would love to show Henry his own dinosaur collection… although we’re a bit short on fairies…” Charlotte said. It dawned on her that maybe Jake would benefit from a paternal figure like Sidney in his life, she didn’t really count her Dad and Brothers and she knew that there were times when she was too soft on him.

“We’d like that,” Sidney said, as Jenny and Henry grabbed onto a leg each.

“Charlotte! You still have my clips in your hair,” Jenny said.

“Oh yes! I forgot about that. Hang on,” Charlotte said, as she started to remove them one by one. “Have I got them all?”

“Ah… no, there’s still one left,” Sidney said.

Charlotte tried to feel around for it on her head. “Where?”

“Hang on, it's tangled,” Sidney said and without really thinking what he was doing, he stepped forward and started to detangle the clip from Charlotte’s hair.

He was so close to her… his fingers gently playing with her hair, the smell of his musky cologne filling her nostrils and the ground felt like it was spinning beneath her feet. She looked up to see Sidney’s face contorted in concentration, his jaw set and his eyes dark and once again her body exploded in goosebumps. What was happening to her?

“There we go.” Sidney said, stepping back with the hair clip finally in his hand.

“Thanks,” Charlotte said, trying to mask what was happening to her body. “Jake, is there something you want to say to Henry and Jenny?” she asked her son.

“Thank you! Bye!” Jake replied.

“See you at Practice in an hour or so,” Charlotte said, as she walked out the door, her heart still beating fast.

“Yeah. Bye,” Sidney replied simply.

Charlotte grabbed Jake’s hand and walked with him to the car, stopping to wave back to Henry, Jenny and Sidney as they stood at the door. Even if Sidney seemed to stir up confusing feelings in her, she was pleased that it finally felt like they had reached some sort of understanding, which was a real relief. Now the test was whether this new found equilibrium between them could be maintained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title Andante Andante refers to the Italian term used for 'at walking pace' and we obviously know the song by Abba, used in the film and show Mamma Mia
> 
> Mamma Mia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GTjMMYl1T8
> 
> Piano Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocoF0duu9Us
> 
> Another piece of music to listen to is Spring from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. If you follow Minor Fic Playlist, you will know that Winter appears there and it;s like a journey for their lives/relationship - beginning with Winter and now starting to show signs of growth...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FP9N2SbWn4
> 
> Classical Music can also embrace films for all ages - in recent years, The Proms have included events for families, where they play music that children will recognise, an excellent way to introduce them to the wonder of Music, hearing a 'live' Orchestra play the soundtrack, while watching the film and obviously, I couldn;t leave 'Let It Go' from 'Frozen' out....here are some links
> 
> Demi Lovato https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHue-HaXXzg
> 
> Orchestral Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv3aPsr1bR0
> 
> Charlotte refers to various Composers, Amy Beach is another example of a female composer, who is rarely mentioned. Her Romance and Compositions for Violin and Piano are beautiful. Thankfully, this is now changing and it was excellent to see this mentioned on International Womens' Day earlier this week.
> 
> Romance for Violin & Piano   
> https://youtu.be/8mGVFSIkKQc
> 
> Berceuse from 3 Pieces  
> https://youtu.be/YFPXUzKZh7o
> 
> Violin Sonata - 1st Movement   
> https://youtu.be/D1AuNj9ecME
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/amy-beach/
> 
> https://www.amybeach.org/
> 
> https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/women-in-music/changed-classical-music-world-forever/
> 
> The other Composers that Charlotte refers to and clips of their Music are referenced in these articles about Violin Concertos... 
> 
> https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/top-10-violin-concertos-updated-2019
> 
> https://www.udiscovermusic.com/classical-features/best-violin-concertos/
> 
> https://classicalfm.ca/station-blog/2019/03/28/top-10-violin-concertos-must-hear/
> 
> This music will be added to the Playlist and more going on the Lovefest too, thank you so much for following both of them!

**Author's Note:**

> We would love to receive feedback on our first collaboration, so please do leave a comment or two!
> 
> Glossary of Terms:
> 
> Elegy: a setting of a poem, or an instrumental piece, lamenting the loss of someone deceased. 
> 
> Concerto: a long piece of music for one or more main solo instruments and an orchestra. Hence, a Piano Concerto is one in which the piano is the solo instrument and it is accompanied by an orchestra.
> 
> Symphony: a long piece of music for an orchestra, usually with four 'movements' or 'parts'.


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